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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 124 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pop — music
  3. present — the time now
  4. court — of a king
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. roll — a cake
  9. court — for sport
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. rash — a series
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rash — hasty
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pop — soda
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. roll — a list
  19. bound — certain
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. present — there
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. present — a gift

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