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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: roll · file · root · chest · court · wind · fan · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. chest — a box
  10. wind — moving air
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. court — for sport
  16. file — a document
  17. court — of law
  18. roll — a list
  19. court — of a king
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bound — certain
  23. wind — moving air
  24. root — of a word

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