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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: ball · bound · mug · tube · pop · game · saw · spell

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pop — music
  6. spell — magic
  7. tube — the underground
  8. spell — letters
  9. bound — certain
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ball — a great time
  18. spell — a short time
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. game — a match
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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