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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. court — of a king
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pop — soda
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. court — for sport
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pop — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bound — tied together
  17. court — of law
  18. lie — to recline
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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