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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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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: foot · ground · season · fan · pop · fall · racket · bound

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. ground — the earth
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fall — to drop
  5. season — of the year
  6. ground — crushed
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fall — to drop
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pop — soda
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bound — certain
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — a position
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pop — music
  19. season — in sport
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fall — the season
  24. pop — to visit

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