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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: pit · saw · date · band · court · bound · kid · chip

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. band — a ring
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. court — of a king
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. court — of law
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. kid — to tease
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. kid — child
  18. chip — to eat
  19. band — a music group
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. date — the fruit
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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