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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pop — soda
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bound — certain
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pop — music
  20. row — a line
  21. bound — tied together
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bore — gave birth

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