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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ground — a position
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bound — certain
  7. pit — a hole
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ground — crushed
  17. hand — help
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pit — in a race
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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