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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: chest · scale · bound · mark · bulb · game · calf · court

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mark — a grade
  3. game — a match
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — for sport
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bulb — for light
  10. court — of a king
  11. chest — a box
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bound — obliged
  16. scale — in music
  17. court — of law
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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