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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 120 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: land · bark · pit · hide · bound · game

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. land — ground
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bound — certain
  5. bark — to shout
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. land — to come down
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. land — a country
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pit — in a race
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. pit — a hole

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