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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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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 · straw · rule · stick · calf · date · bound · capital

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. court — of law
  4. date — the fruit
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. court — of a king
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. capital — a city
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. capital — money
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. court — for sport
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bound — certain
  24. rule — government

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