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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 116 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: rule · bound · band · swing · club · can · game · key

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. band — a music group
  3. club — a group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. can — a tin
  10. bound — obliged
  11. key — the most important part
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. swing — music
  15. rule — a law
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bound — certain
  18. club — for golf
  19. bound — tied together
  20. band — a ring
  21. swing — to play on
  22. rule — government
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in music

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