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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bound — tied together
  5. shower — to wash
  6. field — a subject
  7. bound — obliged
  8. field — farmland
  9. mug — a cup
  10. pass — a permit
  11. shower — rain
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bound — certain
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. ground — a position
  17. mug — a face
  18. field — for sport

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