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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chest · game · swing · fine · bound · bank · bass · kid

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bass — the fish
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chest — a box
  5. game — a match
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bass — low music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bank — for money
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. swing — music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bound — tied together
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bound — certain
  20. fine — high quality
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bank — for money
  23. bound — obliged
  24. kid — child

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