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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.

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: bound · chair · game · tear · saw · last · kick · track

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. tear — from crying
  4. game — wild animals
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. game — a match
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. kick — in football
  10. tear — from crying
  11. track — a path
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. tear — to rip
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bound — obliged
  20. track — a song
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. kick — a thrill

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