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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. present — there
  4. kid — to tease
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. ground — a position
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. row — a line
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. dip — to sink
  12. row — to paddle
  13. present — a gift
  14. kid — child
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ground — the earth
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. chair — a leader
  21. present — the time now
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bound — tied together
  24. chair — to sit on

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