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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rest — what's left
  3. court — for sport
  4. stock — shares
  5. court — of a king
  6. track — a song
  7. row — to paddle
  8. court — of law
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. bound — obliged
  14. row — a line
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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