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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. firm — a company
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bound — certain
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. swing — music
  9. pop — music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pop — to visit
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. court — of a king
  16. firm — steady
  17. pop — soda
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cold — an illness
  20. swing — in golf
  21. firm — decided
  22. court — for sport
  23. cold — not warm
  24. sharp — exactly

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