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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. court — for sport
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. court — of a king
  7. wake — a trail
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. march — the month
  13. last — finally
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. court — of law
  19. snap — to click
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. last — to go on
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. trunk — of a car

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