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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. dip — to sink
  3. key — in music
  4. snap — to click
  5. key — for a lock
  6. court — of law
  7. pop — to visit
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. court — for sport
  11. bound — tied together
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. fine — high quality
  14. season — of the year
  15. court — of a king
  16. key — the most important part
  17. season — in sport
  18. bound — certain
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pop — soda
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bound — obliged
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pop — music

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