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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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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 · roll · wind · stick · pound · pit · toast · field

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. field — farmland
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — tied together
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wind — moving air
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. roll — a list
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pit — a hole
  17. toast — bread
  18. field — a subject
  19. bound — certain
  20. pit — in a race
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bound — obliged
  24. field — for sport

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