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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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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: court · tube · fall · drill · suit · bound · mug · squash

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mug — a face
  3. tube — the underground
  4. court — of a king
  5. drill — army training
  6. fall — to drop
  7. suit — to fit
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bound — certain
  10. tube — a container
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fall — to drop
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mug — to rob
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bound — obliged
  19. suit — in cards
  20. court — for sport
  21. suit — clothes
  22. mug — a cup
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. fall — the season

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