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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wax — to grow
  4. track — a song
  5. court — of a king
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pop — soda
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. snap — to click
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. track — to keep track
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pop — music
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. firm — steady
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. court — of law
  20. firm — decided
  21. bound — certain
  22. track — a path
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. firm — a company

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