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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · calf · ground · season · file · bay · can · bound

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ground — a position
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. can — a tin
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. season — of the year
  18. bound — obliged
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. file — a line of people
  23. can — to be able to
  24. season — to add flavour

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