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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wound — an injury
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — a country
  7. saw — the tool
  8. suit — clothes
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. land — ground
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — to fit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. bound — obliged
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bound — certain
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — to come down
  24. court — for sport

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