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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 120 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: court · mine · rule · band · wave · key · bay · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bound — obliged
  4. court — of a king
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. court — of law
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. band — a ring
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bound — certain
  16. key — in music
  17. rule — a law
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. band — a music group
  22. court — for sport
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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