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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: ground · date · kid · board · bass · lie · capital · bound

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. ground — a position
  3. bound — tied together
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. capital — money
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ground — crushed
  14. kid — child
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. capital — a city
  20. board — to get on
  21. ground — the earth
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. board — a flat piece

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