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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. ground — a position
  3. bound — obliged
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bark — to shout
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. net — after costs
  11. fall — the season
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. net — in sport
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — the earth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ground — crushed
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fall — to drop
  23. net — for catching
  24. bound — certain

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