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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rest — a break
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bound — obliged
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. court — of law
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bound — certain
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. deal — to handle
  14. hand — in cards
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — of a king
  20. hand — help
  21. bound — tied together
  22. court — for sport
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rest — what's left

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