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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: hand · bay · rash · hide · shower · bound · ground · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ground — crushed
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rash — a series
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. shower — rain
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bound — certain
  23. ball — a great time
  24. hand — help

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