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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 · snap · racket · scale · chair · land · bound · pound

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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 law
  2. land — a country
  3. pound — a weight
  4. scale — in music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. snap — to click
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. court — of a king
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. land — to come down
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bound — tied together
  20. land — ground
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. racket — for tennis
  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