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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. swing — to play on
  4. ground — a position
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. present — there
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. swing — music
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bound — obliged
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rush — hurry
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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