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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
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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 · game · rest · court · cap · key · hand · racket

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bound — certain
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. game — wild animals
  5. hand — help
  6. bound — obliged
  7. game — a match
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cap — a hat
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bound — tied together
  17. court — for sport
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — of a king
  21. key — in music
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. court — of law

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