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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bound — certain
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bat — the animal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. net — for catching
  10. suit — clothes
  11. scale — in music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ground — a position
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. suit — to fit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. ground — the earth
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. net — in sport
  21. bound — obliged
  22. suit — in cards
  23. net — after costs
  24. mine — an explosive

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