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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. field — a subject
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. roll — a cake

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