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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. bound — certain
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. court — of a king
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. court — for sport
  11. key — in music
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pound — a weight
  14. key — the most important part
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — of law
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pound — for dogs

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