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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bound — tied together
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fall — the season
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bound — certain
  16. ground — a position
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. foot — a measure
  24. fall — to drop

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