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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ground — a position
  9. bound — certain
  10. mate — to breed
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pit — in a race
  18. kick — in football
  19. spell — magic
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bat — in an idiom

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