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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: land · fork · cue · wind · current · board · court · bound

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bound — certain
  3. board — to get on
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. court — of a king
  8. current — of water
  9. court — of law
  10. current — electric
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cue — a hint
  14. current — happening now
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cue — for pool
  17. board — a committee
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — a signal
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. court — for sport

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