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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: cabinet · bound · net · club · bore · mouse · chip · kid

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bound — tied together
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bound — certain
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. club — for golf
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. net — after costs
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. club — for dancing
  16. kid — to tease
  17. club — a group
  18. kid — child
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. net — in sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. net — for catching
  24. bound — obliged

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