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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. court — for sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. land — to come down
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. land — a country
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bound — obliged
  11. ground — a position
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. land — ground
  14. court — of a king
  15. bound — certain
  16. court — of law
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. mate — a partner
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mate — to breed
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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