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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. pop — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mark — a trace
  10. game — a match
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bound — certain
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pop — soda
  16. court — of law
  17. fall — to drop
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fall — the season
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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