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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: court · hand · march · land · bank · key · present · deal

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. march — the month
  5. bank — for money
  6. deal — to handle
  7. court — for sport
  8. march — music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hand — in cards
  11. present — there
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. hand — help
  14. court — of law
  15. land — a country
  16. bank — for money
  17. key — in music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bank — of a river
  21. key — for a lock
  22. march — the month
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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