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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 116 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: deal · ball · land · coach · march · wake · court · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. deal — to handle
  3. court — of law
  4. march — music
  5. land — ground
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ball — a dance
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. land — to come down
  17. court — for sport
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. land — a country
  20. ball — a great time
  21. court — of a king
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wake — a trail

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