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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ground — a position
  5. bass — low music
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bound — tied together
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bass — the fish
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bound — certain
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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