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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: leaves · fine · game · bound · roll · toast · squash · hand

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bound — obliged
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bound — certain
  5. fine — all right
  6. game — wild animals
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. toast — bread
  10. roll — a list
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bound — tied together
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. fine — high quality
  20. hand — in cards
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. hand — help

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