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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: ground · suit · cabinet · hand · lean · bound · land · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. land — ground
  3. suit — in cards
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. suit — to fit
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hand — in cards
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. ground — the earth
  15. land — to come down
  16. ball — a great time
  17. lean — thin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. land — a country

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