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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bound — tied together
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bound — certain
  7. game — a match
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — to protest
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. court — for sport
  14. object — a thing
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. court — of a king
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. court — of law
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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