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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bulb — for light
  4. drill — army training
  5. face — to point toward
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. object — a thing
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ball — a dance
  14. drill — the tool
  15. object — to protest
  16. net — after costs
  17. bound — tied together
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. object — an aim
  21. bound — certain
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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