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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: suit · ball · bat · mouse · chest · pitch · hand · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ball — a dance
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bound — certain
  12. chest — a box
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. chest — of your body
  21. hand — help
  22. suit — to fit
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bound — tied together

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