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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: game · jam · hand · charge · bound · chip · drill · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. charge — a price
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pop — soda
  7. bound — tied together
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pop — music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. chip — to eat
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. game — a match
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bound — certain
  21. hand — help
  22. charge — in control
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. chip — for betting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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