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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.

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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: kid · row · wake · bay · present · ground · rule · bound

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rule — a law
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bound — tied together
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. kid — child
  14. bound — obliged
  15. row — a line
  16. rule — government
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. present — the time now
  21. bound — certain
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. present — there
  24. bay — a horse colour

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