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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: fine · perch · mark · ground · bound · bat · spell · toast

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fine — all right
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spell — letters
  10. mark — a trace
  11. spell — magic
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bound — tied together
  15. ground — a position
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bound — certain
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mark — a grade
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. toast — bread
  24. perch — the fish

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