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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. face — part of the head
  4. court — of law
  5. face — to confront
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bound — tied together
  8. capital — a city
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. face — to point toward
  15. court — of a king
  16. capital — money
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. court — for sport
  24. fall — to drop

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