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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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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 · fall · bat · snap · safe · bound · charge · band

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fall — to drop
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. ground — a position
  6. fall — to drop
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bound — tied together
  9. charge — in control
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fall — the season
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. band — a ring
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. band — a music group
  21. ground — the earth
  22. snap — to click
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bat — in an idiom

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