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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: land · cue · bound · ball · current · dip · coach · wound

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wound — an injury
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cue — for pool
  9. current — electric
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cue — a hint
  12. current — of water
  13. dip — to sink
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cue — a signal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bound — certain
  19. current — happening now
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — a country
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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