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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: ground · bound · racket · rest · fine · bat · staff · drill

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bound — certain
  3. drill — a practice
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. fine — high quality
  7. ground — a position
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rest — what's left
  10. staff — employees
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fine — all right
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rest — a break
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rest — what's left
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. drill — the tool
  19. staff — employees
  20. bound — tied together
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. drill — army training
  24. bat — the animal

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