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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: kick · game · snap · bound · pop · ball · suit · file

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. file — a tool
  3. bound — certain
  4. ball — a dance
  5. file — a line of people
  6. game — wild animals
  7. suit — in cards
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. suit — to fit
  10. snap — to click
  11. game — a match
  12. pop — music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bound — obliged
  16. suit — clothes
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pop — to visit
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. kick — in football
  21. file — a document
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pop — soda
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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