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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · bound · ground · content · lie · cold · drill · fork

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. lie — to recline
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bound — certain
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bound — tied together
  14. drill — army training
  15. content — happy
  16. ground — a position
  17. bound — obliged
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pop — to visit
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pop — music
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pop — soda

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