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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 120 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: racket · hand · trunk · chest · march · bound · suit · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bound — certain
  4. chest — a box
  5. march — the month
  6. hand — help
  7. suit — to fit
  8. chest — of your body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bound — tied together
  12. hand — in cards
  13. court — of law
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bound — obliged
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. suit — in cards
  18. march — the month
  19. suit — clothes
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. court — for sport
  23. march — music
  24. racket — for tennis

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