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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bound — certain
  4. foot — a measure
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. tube — a container
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. fall — to drop
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stock — shares
  16. bound — obliged
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. squash — to crush
  19. snap — to click
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stock — goods
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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