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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: kid · ball · pop · bank · row · game · snap · bound

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. bank — for money
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. bank — of a river
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. row — to paddle
  15. game — a match
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bound — obliged
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. snap — to click
  23. kid — child
  24. pop — soda

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