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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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cap — of ice
  5. track — a song
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. mate — a friend
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. degree — temperature
  13. court — for sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. court — of law
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — government
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. degree — an amount
  24. track — a path

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