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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: nail · land · court · deal · cabinet · stand · bound · roll

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. court — for sport
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. roll — a cake
  6. land — a country
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. roll — a list
  9. court — of a king
  10. bound — obliged
  11. court — of law
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bound — tied together
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bound — certain

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