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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: row · fall · bound · ball · rush · ground · deal · mark

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. row — a line
  6. ground — a position
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bound — certain
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fall — the season
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mark — a grade
  23. ground — the earth
  24. deal — a big deal

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