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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. ground — a position
  3. ball — a great time
  4. dip — to sink
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bound — tied together
  7. ground — the earth
  8. season — of the year
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. foot — a measure
  11. season — in sport
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. ball — a dance
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cold — not warm
  16. drill — the tool
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cold — an illness
  20. drill — army training
  21. bound — certain
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ground — crushed

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