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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: pound · cue · face · craft · roll · racket · bound · present

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bound — obliged
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bound — certain
  6. craft — boats
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. present — a gift
  10. cue — for pool
  11. face — part of the head
  12. roll — a list
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. face — to confront
  18. roll — a cake
  19. present — the time now
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. present — there
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bound — tied together

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