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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: mark · court · roll · shower · ground · cap · bear · bound

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bound — certain
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. court — of law
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cap — a hat
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. roll — a list
  17. court — of a king
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bound — obliged
  20. court — for sport
  21. ground — a position
  22. shower — rain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. shower — to wash

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