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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: bark · bound · net · pit · wind · ground · key · game

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bound — certain
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. key — in music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pit — in a race
  8. net — after costs
  9. key — for a lock
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bound — obliged
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. ground — crushed
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wind — moving air
  23. game — a match
  24. net — for catching

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