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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 116 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fall — to drop
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spell — letters
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fall — the season
  12. spell — magic
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bound — certain
  15. kid — child
  16. fall — to drop
  17. drill — a practice
  18. dip — to sink

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