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

Word bank: bound · game · wake · stem · cue · court · bear · jam

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bound — obliged
  5. court — of a king
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bound — certain
  11. cue — a signal
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bear — the animal
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bound — tied together
  18. game — wild animals
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cue — for pool
  24. court — of law

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