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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: scale · mine · court · object · game · lean · bound · nail

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. scale — in music
  5. object — an aim
  6. bound — certain
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. court — for sport
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. scale — size or range
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lean — to bend
  16. game — a match
  17. court — of law
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lean — thin
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bound — obliged
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. court — of a king

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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