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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. track — to keep track
  3. game — a match
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bound — obliged
  8. track — a path
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. suit — to fit
  14. spring — a coil
  15. game — wild animals
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bound — tied together
  18. suit — in cards
  19. craft — boats
  20. court — for sport
  21. suit — clothes
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. track — a song

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