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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: ball · chest · rash · pop · bound · ground · bay · pitcher

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bound — obliged
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pop — soda
  7. ball — a great time
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bound — certain
  14. pop — music
  15. ground — a position
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rash — hasty

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