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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: safe · cue · court · land · coach · pop · mine · bound

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. court — for sport
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cue — for pool
  5. pop — soda
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. court — of law
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. land — ground
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bound — certain
  14. cue — a signal
  15. land — a country
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pop — music
  18. court — of a king
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cue — a hint
  23. land — to come down
  24. pop — to visit

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