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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — help
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. saw — the tool
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bound — certain
  12. hand — in cards
  13. court — of a king
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. saw — the tool
  17. court — for sport
  18. current — happening now
  19. stand — to bear
  20. court — of law
  21. current — electric
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. current — of water
  24. cabinet — ministers

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