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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 120 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: bound · racket · drill · bay · mouse · hand · pound · game

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. hand — help
  9. bound — certain
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. game — a match
  19. drill — army training
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. game — wild animals
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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