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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · last · deal · pop · arm · ground · rash · foot

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. last — finally
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rash — a series
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. last — to go on
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bound — certain
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pop — music
  16. bound — obliged
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ground — a position
  23. foot — a measure
  24. rash — on the skin

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