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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · cue · bound · land · content · club · cap · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cap — a lid
  3. game — a match
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bound — certain
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cap — a hat
  8. club — for golf
  9. bound — tied together
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bound — obliged
  15. land — ground
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. land — to come down
  18. cap — of ice
  19. club — a group
  20. cue — a signal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cue — for pool
  23. land — a country
  24. bear — the animal

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