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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 116 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: bound · pit · chair · land · bat · game · wave · deal

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. land — a country
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. land — ground
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. game — wild animals
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pit — a hole
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. game — a match
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. land — to come down
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. deal — an agreement
  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