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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. object — to protest
  4. bound — tied together
  5. court — for sport
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. rest — a break
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bound — certain
  11. net — in sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — army training
  14. court — of law
  15. rest — what's left
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. net — after costs
  18. object — an aim
  19. drill — the tool
  20. object — a thing
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. court — of a king
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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