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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. court — of law
  3. chest — a box
  4. march — music
  5. charge — a price
  6. court — of a king
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bound — obliged
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. charge — in control
  11. march — the month
  12. chest — of your body
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. charge — electricity
  16. rest — a break
  17. court — for sport
  18. staff — a stick
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. chest — of your body
  21. march — the month
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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