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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bound — obliged
  3. club — for dancing
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. row — to paddle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. club — a group
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. court — of law
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rush — hurry
  17. club — for golf
  18. court — of a king
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bound — certain
  23. row — a line
  24. patient — a sick person

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