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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: date · foot · game · chip · bound · leaves · roll · pound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chip — for betting
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chip — to eat
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bound — obliged
  10. roll — a cake
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. game — a match
  13. roll — a list
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bound — tied together
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. date — the fruit
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. pound — a weight
  23. foot — a measure
  24. chip — in a computer

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