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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. scale — in music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. board — to get on
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cold — an illness
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cold — not warm
  13. scale — size or range
  14. court — of a king
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. board — a committee

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