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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: wake · object · straw · staff · bound · kick · scale · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. object — an aim
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. staff — employees
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. object — to protest
  10. bound — obliged
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wake — a trail
  14. kick — in football
  15. bound — certain
  16. staff — employees
  17. object — a thing
  18. court — of a king
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. scale — in music
  21. court — for sport
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. staff — a stick
  24. kick — a thrill

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