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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.

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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: shower · ground · ruler · hide · net · bound · cabinet · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ground — a position
  12. bound — certain
  13. net — after costs
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. roll — a list
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. ground — crushed
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. net — in sport
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. shower — rain
  23. net — for catching
  24. bound — obliged

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