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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. court — of law
  3. ball — a dance
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ball — a great time
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. season — of the year
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bound — certain
  17. tear — from crying
  18. squash — to crush
  19. court — for sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bound — tied together
  23. court — of a king
  24. season — in sport

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