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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 120 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: land · fan · pound · game · bound · lie · bat · board

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. pound — a weight
  3. land — ground
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. board — a committee
  7. game — a match
  8. bound — certain
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. land — to come down
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. board — to get on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. land — a country
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bat — the animal

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