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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: game · temple · sharp · ground · net · cap · fall · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cap — a lid
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fall — the season
  5. game — wild animals
  6. net — in sport
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — for catching
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bound — tied together
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cap — a hat
  17. net — after costs
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fall — to drop

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