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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: bound · ground · pit · march · bay · pop · foot · date

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pop — to visit
  3. ground — a position
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. ground — crushed
  6. march — the month
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. pop — music
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bound — obliged
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. march — music
  16. pit — in a race
  17. march — the month
  18. pop — soda
  19. date — the fruit
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bound — tied together
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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