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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. toast — bread
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. bound — tied together
  7. present — a gift
  8. track — a song
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bound — certain
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pass — a permit
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ground — the earth
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ground — a position

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