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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bound — tied together
  5. court — of law
  6. tube — a container
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bound — certain
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bulb — for light
  12. court — for sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bore — to tire
  16. net — in sport
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bore — to drill
  23. court — of a king
  24. net — after costs

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