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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cue — a hint
  3. court — for sport
  4. cue — a signal
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. last — to go on
  7. bound — tied together
  8. band — a music group
  9. bound — obliged
  10. charge — in control
  11. last — finally
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. court — of a king
  15. last — final
  16. charge — electricity
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. court — of law
  19. bound — certain
  20. band — a ring
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. charge — a price
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stem — to come from

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