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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 124 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bound — certain
  3. pop — music
  4. spring — the season
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. drill — army training
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. roll — a cake
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pop — soda
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bowl — a football final

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