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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spell — letters
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bulb — for light
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — of law
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — magic
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bound — certain
  20. spell — a short time
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. snap — to click

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