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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: capital · ball · lie · ground · perch · content · rule · bound

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. content — the amount
  3. rule — government
  4. capital — money
  5. content — happy
  6. rule — a law
  7. perch — the fish
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bound — tied together
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ball — a great time
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bound — obliged
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ground — a position
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. capital — a city
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bound — certain
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ball — a dance

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