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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. bound — tied together
  8. staff — employees
  9. bound — obliged
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. content — happy
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ground — crushed
  19. content — the amount
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bound — certain
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bowl — to roll

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