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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: board · kick · can · fall · cold · bound · mine · ball

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bound — certain
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bound — obliged
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fall — the season
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. can — to be able to
  15. board — a committee
  16. ball — a great time
  17. kick — in football
  18. can — a tin
  19. bound — tied together
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fall — to drop
  24. can — a tin

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