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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. can — a tin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bound — obliged
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. court — of law
  7. march — music
  8. can — a tin
  9. bound — certain
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. roll — a cake
  12. club — for golf
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. march — the month
  16. bound — tied together
  17. club — for dancing
  18. roll — a list
  19. court — for sport
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pound — a weight
  23. court — of a king
  24. march — the month

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