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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. kid — child
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bound — certain
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pass — a permit
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ground — crushed
  13. branch — a division
  14. kid — to tease
  15. spell — a short time
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. ground — a position
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. bound — obliged
  21. spell — magic
  22. date — the fruit
  23. swing — to play on
  24. spell — letters

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