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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cue — a hint
  3. court — for sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. face — to point toward
  6. current — happening now
  7. court — of a king
  8. cue — for pool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — decided
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bound — certain
  15. current — electric
  16. court — of law
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. firm — a company
  24. current — of water

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