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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cabinet · pitcher · track · hide · wake · bound · court · current

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. court — of a king
  7. current — happening now
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. current — of water
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. current — electric
  19. court — for sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bound — certain
  24. court — of law

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