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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: game · sharp · band · ruler · bound · bark · foot · racket

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. sharp — clever
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bound — certain
  6. bark — to shout
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bound — tied together
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. game — a match
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. band — a music group
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. game — wild animals

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