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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. hand — help
  5. spell — letters
  6. bank — for money
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. degree — temperature
  10. spell — a short time
  11. court — for sport
  12. degree — from a university
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bound — tied together
  15. court — of a king
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bound — certain
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bound — obliged
  24. spell — magic

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