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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: pop · present · bay · court · shower · wake · fork · bound

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. court — of law
  4. shower — rain
  5. bound — certain
  6. wake — a trail
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. court — of a king
  11. present — the time now
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bound — obliged
  16. present — a gift
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. court — for sport
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. present — there

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