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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. staff — a stick
  3. spring — a coil
  4. kid — child
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ball — a great time
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bound — tied together
  12. kid — to tease
  13. ball — a dance
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged

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