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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bound — obliged
  3. dip — to sink
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pass — a permit
  7. court — of a king
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. court — for sport
  12. swing — music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. swing — in golf
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bound — certain
  17. cell — in biology
  18. ground — crushed
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. cell — a phone
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pass — to succeed

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