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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: bound · wind · ground · court · current · net · pound · pitcher

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bound — certain
  3. net — for catching
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. court — of law
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. court — for sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bound — tied together
  18. net — after costs
  19. court — of a king
  20. ground — a position
  21. net — in sport
  22. current — of water
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pound — for dogs

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