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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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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 · track · field · fall · ground · rule · bound · content

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. content — the amount
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. ground — a position
  6. row — a line
  7. track — a path
  8. ground — crushed
  9. track — to keep track
  10. field — farmland
  11. rule — government
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. track — a song
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — certain
  16. ground — the earth
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bound — obliged
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. bound — tied together
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. content — happy

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