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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: bound · date · spring · roll · bear · court · cell · pit

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cell — in biology
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. court — of a king
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pit — in a race
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pit — a hole
  12. roll — a list
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bear — the animal
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. court — for sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bound — obliged
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. court — of law
  24. date — the fruit

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