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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bound — certain
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. present — a gift
  6. season — in sport
  7. land — a country
  8. present — the time now
  9. season — of the year
  10. present — there
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. land — ground
  14. bound — obliged
  15. track — to keep track
  16. ground — the earth
  17. tube — a container
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bound — tied together

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