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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. field — farmland
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. foot — a measure
  8. court — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. court — of a king
  11. field — for sport
  12. game — a match
  13. bound — certain
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. court — of law
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. mouse — for a computer

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