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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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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: squash · ground · bound · dip · rash · saw · foot · chair

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. dip — to sink
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bound — certain
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. ground — crushed
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. ground — the earth
  15. rash — hasty
  16. ground — a position
  17. foot — a measure
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bound — obliged
  20. squash — to crush
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bound — tied together

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