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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. band — a music group
  3. bound — certain
  4. charge — in control
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. deal — to handle
  7. charge — electricity
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. spell — magic
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. band — a ring
  15. bound — obliged
  16. spell — a short time
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. charge — a price
  19. spell — letters
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. arm — part of the body

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