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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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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: bound · game · bat · current · squash · bore · clip · ball

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bore — to tire
  4. clip — to cut
  5. squash — the sport
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. squash — to crush
  11. clip — a video
  12. bore — to drill
  13. current — of water
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ball — a great time
  16. current — happening now
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bound — certain
  20. ball — a dance
  21. current — electric
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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