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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: game · tube · deal · face · charge · pop · stick · bound

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bound — certain
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. tube — a container
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pop — soda
  9. face — to point toward
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bound — tied together
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. face — part of the head
  17. charge — a price
  18. deal — to handle
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. charge — in control
  21. bound — obliged
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. face — to confront
  24. charge — electricity

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