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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. tube — a container
  4. ball — a dance
  5. scale — in music
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bound — certain
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. clip — for paper
  13. scale — size or range
  14. court — for sport
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bound — tied together
  23. foot — a measure
  24. firm — decided

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