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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. court — of law
  3. bound — certain
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bass — the fish
  9. court — of a king
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. court — for sport
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fall — to drop
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pop — soda
  20. bass — low music
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bore — to tire
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pop — music

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