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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: bound · bowl · mine · court · rash · bay · net · rush

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. court — of a king
  3. mine — for digging
  4. net — after costs
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. court — of law
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rush — hurry
  21. court — for sport
  22. bound — certain
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bound — tied together

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