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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: mate · ground · dip · calf · bound · bore · mark · ball

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bound — obliged
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bound — certain
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mark — a grade
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bound — tied together
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ball — a round shape

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