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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. hand — help
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. roll — a cake
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bound — certain
  9. pop — soda
  10. ground — a position
  11. snap — to click
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pop — music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bound — obliged
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pop — to visit
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ground — crushed
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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