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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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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 · mug · bound · swing · land · fine · bark · mouse

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. court — of law
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. land — ground
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. court — of a king
  11. mug — a face
  12. bound — certain
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bound — tied together
  15. swing — to play on
  16. court — for sport
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. swing — music
  19. bark — to shout
  20. swing — in golf
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mouse — the animal

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