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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. season — in sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rock — music
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. season — of the year
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. court — of a king
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. court — of law

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