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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 116 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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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: ground · rash · shower · board · snap · rule · field · bound

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ground — crushed
  6. field — a subject
  7. rule — a law
  8. shower — to wash
  9. snap — to click
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. board — to get on
  13. bound — tied together
  14. shower — rain
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. board — a committee
  19. ground — a position
  20. rash — a series
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. field — farmland
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rule — government

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