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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: bound · board · bass · capital · present · wave · last · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. bound — obliged
  4. present — there
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. capital — a city
  9. bass — low music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. present — the time now
  12. board — to get on
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. bound — tied together
  16. capital — money
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bound — certain
  19. board — a committee
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. last — final
  24. wave — of the sea

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