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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. charge — in control
  5. bound — obliged
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. court — for sport
  9. bound — certain
  10. court — of law
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. firm — decided
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. staff — employees
  18. pit — in a race
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bound — tied together
  21. firm — a company
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. court — of a king

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