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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 120 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: bowl · last · chair · saw · bound · hand · mouse · game

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. hand — help
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. game — wild animals
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bound — tied together
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chair — a leader
  18. last — final
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bound — certain
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. 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