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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bound — tied together
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mug — a face
  6. current — happening now
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bound — obliged
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. current — of water
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — certain
  15. ground — the earth
  16. game — a match
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fall — the season
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mug — to rob
  21. fall — to drop
  22. current — electric
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ground — crushed

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