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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cell — a phone
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bound — certain
  7. hand — help
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bound — obliged
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cell — in biology
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. game — a match

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