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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: wind · court · net · staff · drill · present · bound · rush

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. net — in sport
  3. staff — employees
  4. bound — tied together
  5. drill — army training
  6. wind — moving air
  7. present — there
  8. court — for sport
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. court — of law
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. present — the time now
  14. staff — employees
  15. net — after costs
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bound — certain
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bound — obliged
  20. net — for catching
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wind — moving air
  23. present — a gift
  24. staff — a stick

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