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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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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: capital · court · spell · ball · pass · coach · land · bound

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. capital — a city
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. bound — obliged
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bound — tied together
  11. land — to come down
  12. spell — magic
  13. land — ground
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. ball — a dance
  16. court — for sport
  17. spell — letters
  18. capital — money
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pass — a permit
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. coach — a trainer
  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