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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. board — to get on
  4. content — happy
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bound — obliged
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bound — certain
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. mug — a cup
  14. date — the fruit
  15. board — a committee
  16. court — of law
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mug — a face
  19. court — for sport
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. court — of a king

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