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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: bound · court · wake · mug · cue · cap · ground · kid

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mug — a cup
  6. court — of law
  7. mug — to rob
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. court — for sport
  12. cue — for pool
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cue — a signal
  15. ground — a position
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mug — a face
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  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