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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: fork · lean · bound · racket · court · bay · land · cue

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. land — ground
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. land — to come down
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fork — in a road
  20. land — a country
  21. court — of law
  22. lean — thin
  23. cue — for pool
  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