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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.

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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: bound · march · snap · roll · content · court · scale · vault

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bound — certain
  5. content — the amount
  6. scale — in music
  7. content — happy
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. roll — a list
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. march — music
  13. court — of law
  14. snap — to click
  15. court — for sport
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bound — tied together
  19. scale — size or range
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bound — obliged
  24. roll — a cake

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