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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: board · squash · content · bound · land · ground · mate · lie

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. content — the amount
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. squash — the sport
  6. lie — to recline
  7. squash — to crush
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. ground — crushed
  12. content — happy
  13. ground — the earth
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bound — certain
  16. land — a country
  17. ground — a position
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — to come down
  23. mate — a friend
  24. land — ground

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