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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 120 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: ball · kid · mate · lean · board · firm · bound · cell

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cell — a phone
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. board — to get on
  8. kid — child
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bound — obliged
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. firm — decided
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mate — to breed
  19. board — a committee
  20. mate — a friend
  21. kid — to tease
  22. ball — a dance
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cell — in a prison

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