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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: rule · pit · season · bound · game · perch · pound · chip

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. season — of the year
  3. bound — certain
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. chip — for betting
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. game — a match
  16. pit — in a race
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. rule — government
  23. season — in sport
  24. chip — in a computer

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