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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
468
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: scale · court · cell · content · nail · saw · bowl · mine

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. court — of law
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. scale — in music
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. mine — for digging
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. saw — the tool
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cell — a phone
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cell — in biology

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