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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 · pass · bulb · court · rush · land · cell · pit

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pit — a hole
  4. court — for sport
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bound — tied together
  8. land — a country
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bound — certain
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. land — to come down
  16. court — of law
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. land — ground
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bulb — for light

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