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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. land — a country
  6. bound — certain
  7. club — for dancing
  8. court — of law
  9. spell — magic
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fine — all right
  12. bark — to shout
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bound — tied together
  15. club — for golf
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. land — to come down
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fine — high quality
  23. club — a group
  24. land — ground

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