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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mine — for digging
  3. drill — army training
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bound — certain
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. drill — the tool
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stand — to bear
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. drill — a practice
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. chair — a leader
  24. deal — an agreement

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