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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: stand · cue · staff · fall · bound · sharp · court · land

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. court — of law
  3. cue — a signal
  4. land — ground
  5. bound — certain
  6. cue — for pool
  7. staff — employees
  8. court — for sport
  9. cue — a hint
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stand — to bear
  14. land — a country
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bound — tied together
  19. staff — employees
  20. land — to come down
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. fall — the season
  23. court — of a king
  24. sharp — with an edge

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