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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. ground — crushed
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rash — a series
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. saw — the tool
  13. row — a line
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. ground — the earth
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — a position
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bound — certain
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — in traffic

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