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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. net — for catching
  3. ground — a position
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chest — of your body
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. kid — child
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. file — a document
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bound — certain
  17. chest — of your body
  18. file — a line of people
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chest — a box
  24. lie — to recline

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