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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. court — of a king
  7. pop — soda
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — clever
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bound — certain
  15. court — for sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pop — music
  18. cue — a hint
  19. roll — a list
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bound — obliged

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