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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: foot · press · bound · mouse · game · pound · rash · pop

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bound — tied together
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pop — music
  11. press — to push
  12. rash — a series
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pound — a weight
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rash — hasty
  22. press — newspapers
  23. game — a match
  24. bound — certain

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