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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: hand · rash · game · net · bowl · bound · mark · field

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. net — for catching
  3. field — a subject
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. field — for sport
  6. rash — a series
  7. bound — certain
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mark — a trace
  12. net — after costs
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. net — in sport
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. field — farmland
  19. hand — help
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. hand — in cards
  23. game — a match
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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