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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: bat · row · game · stick · pit · foot · chip · bound

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bound — certain
  3. row — a line
  4. foot — a measure
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bat — the animal
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. chip — for betting
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pit — in a race
  18. game — a match
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chip — to eat
  24. game — wild animals

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