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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: bound · court · staff · fan · kid · pit · rock · drill

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. drill — army training
  3. staff — a stick
  4. drill — the tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rock — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pit — a hole
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. kid — child
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. staff — employees
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. rock — a stone
  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