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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 120 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: net · ruler · bound · chest · club · mine · rock · bowl

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bound — obliged
  3. club — a group
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. club — for golf
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. net — after costs
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. net — in sport
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bound — certain
  22. net — for catching
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bowl — to roll

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