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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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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: straw · bound · bank · ball · wind · field · court · pit

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bound — tied together
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. pit — a hole
  8. field — farmland
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bank — of a river
  13. court — for sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. court — of a king
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. wind — moving air
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pit — in a race

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