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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bound — obliged
  3. spring — the season
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. spring — of water
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — a position
  9. bound — certain
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. content — happy
  14. ground — crushed
  15. content — the amount
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rash — a series
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bound — tied together
  20. ground — the earth
  21. date — the fruit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stand — to bear

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