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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: squash · bound · court · present · bowl · scale · ball · date

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. court — of law
  3. scale — in music
  4. bound — certain
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bound — tied together
  7. ball — a great time
  8. present — the time now
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bound — obliged
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. squash — to crush
  16. court — for sport
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. present — a gift
  20. court — of a king
  21. squash — the sport
  22. scale — size or range
  23. present — there
  24. ball — a round shape

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