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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. ball — a dance
  3. court — of law
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. court — of a king
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ball — a great time
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. court — for sport
  18. bound — obliged
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bound — certain
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bear — the animal

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