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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bound — tied together
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bound — certain
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. court — of a king
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. degree — an amount
  9. net — in sport
  10. track — a song
  11. court — of law
  12. land — a country
  13. degree — from a university
  14. court — for sport
  15. degree — temperature
  16. track — a path
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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