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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: chair · rush · wave · cabinet · game · deal · bound · wind

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chair — a leader
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bound — tied together
  15. deal — to handle
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bound — obliged
  24. chair — a professorship

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