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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bound — obliged
  3. can — to be able to
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. game — a match
  7. bound — certain
  8. court — of a king
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. track — a song
  13. toast — bread
  14. track — to keep track
  15. board — to get on
  16. court — for sport
  17. board — a committee
  18. can — a tin
  19. track — a path
  20. court — of law
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bound — tied together
  24. can — a tin

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