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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bound — tied together
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. court — of a king
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bound — certain
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bound — obliged
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pass — to spend time

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