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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stick · scale · court · chip · game · staff · pound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chip — for betting
  3. staff — employees
  4. court — for sport
  5. scale — in music
  6. court — of law
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bound — certain
  12. court — of a king
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bound — obliged
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chip — to eat
  22. game — a match
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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