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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: hide · rock · kick · bound · ground · spring · last · ball

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. ground — a position
  6. last — finally
  7. rock — music
  8. bound — tied together
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. last — to go on
  13. spring — of water
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. spring — the season
  16. bound — certain
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. last — final
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ball — a great time

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