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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: bound · lean · date · foot · ground · cold · suit · degree

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bound — certain
  6. cold — an illness
  7. degree — temperature
  8. suit — to fit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ground — a position
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. suit — clothes
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bound — obliged
  16. foot — a measure
  17. degree — an amount
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bound — tied together
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. lean — to bend
  24. suit — in cards

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