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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. chip — to eat
  3. spring — the season
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. chip — for betting
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mug — a face
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mug — to rob
  16. ground — a position
  17. bound — certain
  18. row — a line
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mate — a partner
  22. spring — of water
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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