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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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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: bound · ground · game · march · plane · mug · row · hand

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bound — certain
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. march — the month
  5. mug — to rob
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. row — a line
  8. ground — a position
  9. game — a match
  10. mug — a cup
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bound — obliged
  13. ground — crushed
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mug — a face
  17. march — music
  18. plane — a tool
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. march — the month
  21. game — wild animals
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. ground — the earth

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