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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 124 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. ground — a position
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bound — certain
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rush — hurry
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bat — in an idiom

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