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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lean — to bend
  8. present — there
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bound — certain
  12. lean — thin
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bound — tied together
  17. ground — a position
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. roll — a list
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. present — the time now
  23. ground — crushed
  24. present — a gift

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