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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · net · foot · game · chest · court · wind · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. wind — moving air
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. bound — obliged
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. net — in sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. game — a match
  16. chest — a box
  17. bound — certain
  18. court — of a king
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chest — of your body
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wind — to turn a key

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