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

Word bank: board · game · ground · pop · bound · last · stick · perch

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. board — to get on
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. last — final
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. last — to go on
  12. ground — a position
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. last — finally
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. game — a match
  18. pop — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pop — soda
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bound — certain
  23. board — a committee
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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