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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. court — of law
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bound — tied together
  7. court — of a king
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. drill — a practice
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. drill — army training
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rock — music
  17. bound — obliged
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bound — certain
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pitch — completely

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