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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: date · hide · staff · fork · stick · fine · bound · ground

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bound — tied together
  6. staff — employees
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ground — a position
  11. staff — employees
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fine — high quality
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fine — all right
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fork — in a road
  19. date — the fruit
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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