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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: root · game · court · lie · last · bound · bay · drill

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. drill — the tool
  8. game — a match
  9. drill — a practice
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. root — the cause
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bound — tied together
  15. root — of a word
  16. court — of law
  17. drill — army training
  18. root — of a plant
  19. last — to go on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. last — final
  24. lie — to recline

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