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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. bound — tied together
  5. club — for golf
  6. court — of law
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wound — an injury
  10. court — for sport
  11. file — a line of people
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bound — obliged
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. file — a document
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bound — certain
  24. mine — belonging to me

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