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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: face · content · bound · court · can · straw · key · rash

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. rash — a series
  6. key — in music
  7. face — to confront
  8. bound — obliged
  9. court — of law
  10. bound — tied together
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. face — to point toward
  15. rash — hasty
  16. content — happy
  17. key — for a lock
  18. can — to be able to
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bound — certain
  21. can — a tin
  22. key — the most important part
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — on the skin

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