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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stand — to bear
  5. field — farmland
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. spell — magic
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. spell — letters
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bound — certain
  15. cold — not warm
  16. field — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bound — tied together
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pound — a weight
  23. court — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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