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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lash · foot · bound · snap · march · land · ball · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bound — certain
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mate — a friend
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bound — tied together
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. land — a country
  10. snap — to click
  11. march — the month
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mate — to breed
  17. ball — a great time
  18. march — music
  19. land — ground
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. land — to come down
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. march — the month
  24. foot — part of the body

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