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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: cue · net · stand · bound · game · mouse · mine · chair

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. net — after costs
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. net — for catching
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. game — a match
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. net — in sport
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — certain
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cue — for pool
  24. stand — to bear

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