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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. charge — in control
  5. court — of law
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bound — obliged
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bound — tied together
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. staff — employees
  16. court — of a king
  17. file — a document
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. court — for sport
  21. charge — a price
  22. staff — employees
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bound — certain

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