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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fall — the season
  4. hand — help
  5. root — of a word
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bound — certain
  13. root — the cause
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fall — to drop
  19. root — of a plant
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  24. ball — a dance

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