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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: face · ground · fine · drill · spell · hand · bound · dip

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. face — part of the head
  3. drill — army training
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bound — obliged
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. spell — magic
  10. fine — high quality
  11. ground — a position
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. face — to point toward
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. face — to confront
  16. drill — the tool
  17. dip — to sink
  18. hand — help
  19. spell — letters
  20. bound — certain
  21. fine — all right
  22. spell — a short time
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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