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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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468
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: pound · content · ground · rash · cabinet · bound · stick · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. season — in sport
  4. bound — tied together
  5. ground — a position
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. content — the amount
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. content — happy
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. content — videos and posts

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