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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: firm · bass · bank · bound · land · kid · court · foot

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. land — a country
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bank — for money
  7. bass — the fish
  8. court — of law
  9. bound — obliged
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. firm — decided
  12. land — ground
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bank — of a river
  15. foot — a measure
  16. court — of a king
  17. bound — certain
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — to come down
  21. bound — tied together
  22. firm — steady
  23. bank — for money
  24. bass — low music

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