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

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ground — a position
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rest — a break
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bass — low music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bound — tied together
  21. lean — thin
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bound — certain

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