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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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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: bound · rule · drill · foot · ground · pop · hide · lash

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. pop — music
  5. ground — the earth
  6. drill — the tool
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rule — government
  14. foot — a measure
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bound — tied together
  18. drill — a practice
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pop — soda
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. drill — army training
  24. hide — to keep secret

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