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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: roll · bound · bat · cabinet · hand · trunk · chair · bowl

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bound — certain
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. roll — a cake
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hand — help
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bound — obliged
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bound — tied together
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. roll — a list

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