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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: prune · bound · wound · ball · key · chair · suit · game

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. suit — clothes
  4. key — the most important part
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. game — wild animals
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ball — a great time
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bound — certain
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. key — in music
  18. suit — in cards
  19. game — a match
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. ball — a dance
  23. suit — to fit
  24. wound — an injury

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