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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 · foot · spring · squash · game · rule · ball · lie

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ball — a great time
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. squash — the sport
  6. spring — the season
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. bound — certain
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bound — obliged
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ball — a dance
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rule — government
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rule — a law
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bound — tied together

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