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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: present · ball · bound · lie · pound · cold · club · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bound — tied together
  6. present — there
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. club — a group
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bound — certain
  12. present — a gift
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ball — a dance
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. present — the time now
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cold — the Cold War

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