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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bound — certain
  3. rock — music
  4. club — for golf
  5. last — final
  6. pass — a permit
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. perch — the fish
  10. last — finally
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rock — a stone
  13. club — for dancing
  14. court — for sport
  15. last — to go on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. club — a group
  20. foot — a measure
  21. court — of a king
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pass — to succeed

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