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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. game — a match
  3. court — for sport
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bank — of a river
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — in sport
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. field — for sport
  18. pound — a weight
  19. season — of the year
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. court — of law
  24. season — to add flavour

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