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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: fall · ball · rock · march · bound · staff · game · coach

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. march — the month
  4. staff — employees
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ball — a great time
  8. march — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rock — a stone
  12. game — a match
  13. march — the month
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bound — certain
  17. rock — music
  18. staff — employees
  19. ball — a dance
  20. staff — a stick
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bound — obliged
  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