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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. current — of water
  3. spell — magic
  4. current — electric
  5. chest — a box
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fine — all right
  9. bound — tied together
  10. court — of a king
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bound — certain
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. court — for sport
  16. spell — letters
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. current — happening now
  19. chest — of your body
  20. court — of law
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. spell — a short time

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