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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
468
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: pound · net · chip · stick · bound · squash · mate · can

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. chip — for betting
  6. can — a tin
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. chip — to eat
  12. can — a tin
  13. net — in sport
  14. pound — a weight
  15. net — after costs
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. can — to be able to
  18. squash — to crush
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bound — certain
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mate — to breed
  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