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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bound — certain
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — of a king
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. court — for sport
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mate — to breed
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. court — of law
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bound — tied together
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cold — an illness
  24. calf — a young animal

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