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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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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. band — a music group
  4. field — farmland
  5. bound — certain
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. field — a subject
  12. ball — a great time
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. field — for sport
  15. fine — high quality
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a ring
  18. sharp — with an edge

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