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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: chip · wind · bound · bowl · cold · drill · pitcher · squash

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chip — for betting
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wind — moving air
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cold — not warm
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cold — an illness
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bound — certain

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