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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bound — certain
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. charge — a price
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bound — obliged
  12. charge — in control
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wake — a trail
  15. land — ground
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. content — happy
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. content — the amount
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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