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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: ball · rash · date · bound · pound · march · court · present

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pound — a weight
  3. court — for sport
  4. present — there
  5. march — the month
  6. court — of a king
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. date — the fruit
  12. march — music
  13. bound — obliged
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bound — certain
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. march — the month
  23. court — of law
  24. rash — on the skin

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