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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: row · court · deal · date · foot · suit · spring · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. row — a line
  3. suit — to fit
  4. foot — a measure
  5. court — for sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. spring — of water
  9. suit — in cards
  10. row — to paddle
  11. date — the fruit
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bound — tied together
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bound — certain
  18. court — of law
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. deal — to handle
  21. spring — the season
  22. suit — clothes
  23. spring — a coil
  24. court — of a king

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