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

Word bank: chip · bound · stick · key · bowl · kick · net · kid

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bound — obliged
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. kick — in football
  10. kid — to tease
  11. chip — to eat
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. chip — for betting
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bound — certain
  20. kid — child
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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