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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spell — letters
  4. fall — the season
  5. fine — all right
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spell — a short time
  8. present — the time now
  9. fall — to drop
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. spell — magic
  13. court — of law
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. present — a gift
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bound — certain
  19. fall — to drop
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fine — high quality
  22. court — of a king
  23. bound — obliged
  24. present — there

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