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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bear — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. scale — size or range
  6. drill — army training
  7. game — wild animals
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ground — a position
  11. scale — in music
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bound — obliged
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cap — a lid
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cap — a hat
  23. game — a match
  24. bound — tied together

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