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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 124 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bound — obliged
  5. track — a path
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bound — tied together
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rule — a law
  13. court — for sport
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bound — certain
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. track — a song
  21. hand — help
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rule — government
  24. coach — a trainer

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