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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bound — obliged
  3. court — for sport
  4. cold — an illness
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bound — certain
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mug — a cup
  11. staff — employees
  12. court — of law
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lean — thin
  15. hand — help
  16. court — of a king
  17. hand — in cards
  18. staff — a stick
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mug — a face
  21. staff — employees
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cold — the Cold War

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