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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: net · lie · kick · pass · bound · field · chest · pound

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. field — for sport
  7. bound — obliged
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bound — tied together
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. field — a subject
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. kick — in football
  18. field — farmland
  19. lie — to recline
  20. chest — a box
  21. net — after costs
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bound — certain
  24. pass — a permit

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