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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: mine · bound · kick · craft · cue · spring · date · court

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bound — certain
  3. court — of law
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cue — for pool
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cue — a signal
  11. craft — a skill
  12. court — for sport
  13. spring — of water
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. mine — for digging
  21. craft — boats
  22. date — the fruit
  23. court — of a king
  24. kick — with a leg

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