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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: court · bat · bound · bulb · rock · charge · land · can

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bound — certain
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bulb — for light
  5. can — to be able to
  6. court — of a king
  7. land — ground
  8. charge — a price
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bound — obliged
  11. can — a tin
  12. rock — music
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. charge — in control
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. court — of law
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rock — a stone
  20. land — a country
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. can — a tin
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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