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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bound — certain
  5. ball — a dance
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. drill — the tool
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. ball — a great time
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bound — tied together
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cold — not warm

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