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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. fine — high quality
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chest — a box
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. foot — a measure
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. ground — a position
  13. chest — of your body
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rule — a law
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rule — government
  19. fine — all right
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bound — tied together
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bound — certain

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