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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bound — certain
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bound — obliged
  6. court — of law
  7. land — to come down
  8. track — a path
  9. court — of a king
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. content — happy
  17. court — for sport
  18. land — a country
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. track — a song
  21. content — the amount
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. track — to keep track
  24. ruler — a monarch

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