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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 · ground · present · can · stick · roll · mate · firm

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. mate — to breed
  3. can — a tin
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bound — obliged
  8. roll — a list
  9. bound — tied together
  10. firm — decided
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. present — a gift
  16. can — a tin
  17. firm — steady
  18. roll — a cake
  19. present — the time now
  20. firm — a company
  21. present — there
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bound — certain
  24. ground — a position

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