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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: chest · club · bass · band · court · racket · nail · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chest — a box
  3. court — for sport
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. club — for golf
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bass — low music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. band — a ring
  13. court — of law
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bound — obliged
  16. club — for dancing
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. band — a music group
  19. bass — the fish
  20. court — of a king
  21. club — a group
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bound — tied together
  24. chest — of your body

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