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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
468
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: game · field · bound · present · fall · club · racket · court

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. court — of a king
  3. present — there
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bound — certain
  6. game — a match
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fall — the season
  11. present — the time now
  12. court — for sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. field — for sport
  15. club — for dancing
  16. present — a gift
  17. court — of law
  18. bound — obliged
  19. club — for golf
  20. field — farmland
  21. fall — to drop
  22. club — a group
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fall — to drop

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