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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: court · scale · lie · cap · fan · staff · bound · spell

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. staff — employees
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spell — magic
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cap — a lid
  10. spell — letters
  11. court — of a king
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. court — for sport
  14. cap — a hat
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. scale — in music
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. court — of law
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bound — tied together
  24. spell — a short time

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