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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: last · tube · bound · fan · game · jam · rest · bowl

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rest — a break
  4. tube — a container
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. tube — the underground
  7. game — a match
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — wild animals
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bound — tied together
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. last — finally
  24. rest — what's left

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