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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: court · scale · cap · track · wind · bound · degree · toast

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. court — of law
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wind — moving air
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bound — tied together
  7. court — for sport
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bound — certain
  10. track — a path
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cap — of ice
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. track — a song
  17. cap — a hat
  18. court — of a king
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. degree — temperature
  22. toast — bread
  23. track — to keep track
  24. scale — in music

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