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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bound — tied together
  4. land — to come down
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ball — a great time
  12. track — to keep track
  13. shower — to wash
  14. squash — the sport
  15. toast — bread
  16. shower — rain
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. track — a path
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bound — certain
  24. track — a song

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