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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. court — of law
  3. spell — a short time
  4. court — for sport
  5. rush — hurry
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bound — obliged
  8. court — of a king
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — tied together
  12. spell — letters
  13. bound — certain
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. drill — the tool
  23. spell — magic
  24. coach — a trainer

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