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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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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: deal · swing · hand · bore · racket · bound · cue · fine

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cue — a signal
  3. hand — help
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bore — to drill
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fine — all right
  10. hand — in cards
  11. swing — music
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bound — tied together
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bore — to tire
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. swing — to play on
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bound — certain

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