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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. court — of law
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. court — of a king
  6. firm — steady
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rash — a series
  9. board — a committee
  10. firm — decided
  11. bound — certain
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cold — an illness
  16. firm — a company
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. court — for sport
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. board — to get on

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