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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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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: lie · board · bear · pass · rule · ground · bat · pound

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rule — a law
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pass — a permit
  19. board — a committee
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rule — government

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