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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. club — for golf
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. drill — the tool
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. drill — army training
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. face — part of the head
  15. club — for dancing
  16. ground — a position
  17. drill — a practice
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bound — tied together
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. face — to confront
  23. pass — a permit
  24. club — a group

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