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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bound — certain
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. ground — a position
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. race — a contest
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bound — obliged
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. race — humankind
  23. net — for catching
  24. foot — the bottom

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