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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bound — certain
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bound — obliged
  6. clip — a video
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. court — of a king
  10. pop — music
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stand — to bear
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. swing — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — tied together
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. court — for sport
  24. clip — for paper

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