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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bound — certain
  3. spell — magic
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. ground — the earth
  6. spell — letters
  7. ground — a position
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chair — a leader
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. file — a line of people
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bound — obliged
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bound — tied together
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. file — a tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. file — a document

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