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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 · roll · pit · court · rock · kid · rule · season

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bound — certain
  4. kid — child
  5. pit — a hole
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. kid — to tease
  13. season — of the year
  14. rule — a law
  15. pit — in a race
  16. court — for sport
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rule — government
  20. bound — obliged
  21. roll — a cake
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. season — in sport
  24. court — of law

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