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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: club · board · toast · ground · track · wound · bound · sharp

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. club — a group
  3. bound — obliged
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. board — a committee
  10. track — a path
  11. wound — an injury
  12. track — a song
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. board — to get on
  16. ground — a position
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bound — tied together
  22. track — to keep track
  23. sharp — clever
  24. ground — crushed

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