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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: last · bark · firm · ball · bound · swing · ruler · ground

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bark — to shout
  5. last — final
  6. ground — a position
  7. firm — steady
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. last — finally
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. last — to go on
  12. ground — the earth
  13. swing — to play on
  14. firm — decided
  15. bound — tied together
  16. firm — a company
  17. bound — obliged
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bound — certain
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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