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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 120 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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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: spring · fine · rest · bound · bowl · foot · pass · racket

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. rest — a break
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bound — tied together
  6. spring — a coil
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fine — high quality
  11. foot — a measure
  12. spring — the season
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. spring — of water
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. fine — all right
  24. pass — to succeed

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