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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 116 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: sharp · court · cell · cue · shower · object · bound · pitcher

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. court — for sport
  8. shower — rain
  9. cell — in biology
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cue — a signal
  15. object — a thing
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — an aim
  20. cue — a hint
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. court — of law
  24. cell — a phone

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