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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. hand — help
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. ground — a position
  7. bound — certain
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wake — a trail

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