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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ground — a position
  3. bound — obliged
  4. lie — to recline
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. land — to come down
  10. bound — certain
  11. land — ground
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. squash — the sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. ground — crushed
  21. land — a country
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bound — tied together
  24. season — of the year

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