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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 116 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 ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ground — a position
  7. hand — in cards
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — a company
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fall — the season
  12. face — to confront
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fall — to drop
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bound — certain
  23. firm — decided
  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