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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: court · mine · board · last · stick · bound · patient · track

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. last — final
  3. bound — obliged
  4. track — a path
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. last — finally
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. court — of law
  10. board — a committee
  11. bound — certain
  12. track — to keep track
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. last — to go on
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. track — a song
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. board — to get on
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  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