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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. land — to come down
  4. bound — tied together
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. land — a country
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. game — a match
  10. can — to be able to
  11. band — a ring
  12. bound — obliged
  13. game — wild animals
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. can — a tin
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. band — a music group
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. can — a tin
  21. toast — bread
  22. land — ground
  23. bound — certain
  24. ground — the earth

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