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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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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. ground — a position
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. board — to get on
  8. current — electric
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bound — tied together
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. net — after costs
  18. bound — certain
  19. net — in sport
  20. current — of water
  21. net — for catching
  22. snap — to click
  23. current — happening now
  24. board — a committee

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