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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. bound — tied together
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. season — in sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bound — obliged
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. object — an aim
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. game — a match
  14. bound — certain
  15. object — to protest
  16. court — of law
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. game — wild animals
  20. season — of the year
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. object — a thing

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