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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · squash · ball · bound · court · pop · leaves · saw

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pop — music
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. ball — a great time
  9. saw — the tool
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pop — soda
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. file — a tool
  20. bound — tied together
  21. saw — the tool
  22. court — of a king
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. leaves — lets stay

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