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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. snap — to click
  3. court — of a king
  4. firm — decided
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bound — certain
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bound — tied together
  10. firm — steady
  11. fall — the season
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fall — to drop
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. perch — the fish
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. court — of law
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wound — an injury
  21. firm — a company
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. court — for 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