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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. court — for sport
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. season — in sport
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. court — of a king
  14. fork — in a road
  15. court — of law
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. bound — tied together

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