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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bass — low music
  7. court — of a king
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bound — certain
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bass — the fish

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