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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · content · staff · cue · game · court · stick · wound

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. staff — employees
  4. cue — a signal
  5. staff — employees
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wound — an injury
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wound — an injury
  13. court — of law
  14. content — the amount
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. court — of a king
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. court — for sport
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. staff — a stick
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bound — certain
  24. game — a match

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