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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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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: charge · court · bound · swing · arm · field · stick · racket

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. field — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. swing — music
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — a price
  7. court — for sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bound — tied together
  13. swing — in golf
  14. court — of law
  15. field — a subject
  16. bound — certain
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. swing — to play on
  20. field — farmland
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bound — obliged
  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