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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. net — in sport
  5. band — a ring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bat — the animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. band — a music group
  13. bound — obliged
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. net — after costs
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bound — certain
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bat — for baseball

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