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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 120 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. court — of a king
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. cue — for pool
  8. court — of law
  9. cue — a hint
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bound — certain
  14. cue — a signal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. court — for sport
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bound — obliged

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