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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. mate — to breed
  3. row — a line
  4. ground — a position
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bound — certain
  10. drill — the tool
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stock — goods
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. row — to paddle
  21. drill — army training
  22. stock — shares
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mate — a friend

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