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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fine — all right
  5. bound — tied together
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bound — certain
  8. bat — the animal
  9. toast — bread
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ground — crushed
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wind — moving air
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. snap — to click
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bound — obliged
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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