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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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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: game · bound · chest · suit · bowl · mouse · season · wake

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bound — tied together
  10. season — of the year
  11. game — a match
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bound — certain
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chest — of your body
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chest — a box
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. suit — clothes
  24. season — in sport

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