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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 · staff · march · current · pound · land · bowl · mug

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. march — music
  6. mug — a face
  7. land — ground
  8. march — the month
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. current — electric
  12. land — to come down
  13. mug — a cup
  14. staff — employees
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mug — to rob
  17. staff — employees
  18. march — the month
  19. current — happening now
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. current — of water
  23. land — a country
  24. pound — a weight

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