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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. object — to protest
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. perch — the fish
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. object — an aim
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bore — to drill
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bound — certain
  15. sharp — clever
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chip — for betting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — to tire
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. file — a tool
  23. object — a thing
  24. perch — for a bird

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