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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 116 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: firm · racket · swing · wind · bound · last · court · chip

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bound — obliged
  3. court — of a king
  4. chip — for betting
  5. last — to go on
  6. firm — decided
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. last — final
  9. court — for sport
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bound — tied together
  12. firm — steady
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. chip — to eat
  15. swing — music
  16. bound — certain
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wind — moving air
  19. last — finally
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. firm — a company
  24. swing — to play on

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