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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 · trunk · bound · firm · snap · board · face · racket

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. board — a committee
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bound — tied together
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bound — certain
  9. firm — decided
  10. court — for sport
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. firm — steady
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. face — to confront
  21. board — to get on
  22. bound — obliged
  23. snap — to click
  24. face — to point toward

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