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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. object — an aim
  3. spell — magic
  4. bound — obliged
  5. spell — letters
  6. court — for sport
  7. object — a thing
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. court — of a king
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. court — of law
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bound — tied together
  18. object — to protest
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. deal — to handle
  21. spell — a short time
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — certain
  24. racket — a loud noise

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