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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. staff — employees
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bound — tied together
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bound — certain
  7. content — the amount
  8. spring — of water
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — to bear
  11. ball — a great time
  12. court — of a king
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. spring — the season
  15. content — happy
  16. court — of law
  17. staff — a stick
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. ball — a dance
  20. staff — employees
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. sharp — clever
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bound — obliged

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