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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bound — obliged
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bound — certain
  8. ground — the earth
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bear — the animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. ground — a position
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bound — tied together

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