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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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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: land · bound · rest · cue · can · mug · court · hand

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bound — obliged
  3. court — of a king
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hand — in cards
  7. court — for sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. land — a country
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. rest — a break
  13. land — ground
  14. cue — a signal
  15. hand — help
  16. mug — to rob
  17. court — of law
  18. mug — a cup
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — to come down
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mug — a face

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