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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 · mine · ground · pit · dip · face · plane · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. face — to point toward
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pit — in a race
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. club — a group
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mine — for digging
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. dip — to sink
  14. club — for dancing
  15. face — to confront
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. ground — crushed
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bound — certain
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ground — a position

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