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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. spring — of water
  3. bound — certain
  4. club — a group
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. charge — in control
  10. firm — steady
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spring — the season
  15. bound — tied together
  16. firm — a company
  17. bound — obliged
  18. squash — the sport
  19. spring — a coil
  20. court — of a king
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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