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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 · nail · coach · saw · squash · foot · court · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. court — of law
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bass — low music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bound — tied together
  10. court — for sport
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bound — obliged
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bound — certain
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bass — the fish
  20. court — of a king
  21. saw — the tool
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. squash — the vegetable

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