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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. game — a match
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — of a king
  6. rash — a series
  7. object — to protest
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bound — certain
  18. rash — hasty
  19. court — for sport
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. ball — a dance

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