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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · bound · court · nail · stock · scale · can · rash

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bound — tied together
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bound — certain
  9. rash — hasty
  10. can — a tin
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bound — obliged
  14. ground — a position
  15. stock — goods
  16. court — of law
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. court — of a king
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. scale — in music
  21. stock — shares
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rash — a series
  24. court — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com