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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: leaves · court · chest · racket · bound · straw · staff · bowl

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bound — tied together
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bound — obliged
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bound — certain
  12. chest — a box
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. staff — employees
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. court — of law
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. staff — employees

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