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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. firm — a company
  2. bound — certain
  3. drill — army training
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. saw — the tool
  7. firm — steady
  8. bound — obliged
  9. spring — of water
  10. drill — a practice
  11. season — in sport
  12. firm — decided
  13. net — for catching
  14. spring — the season
  15. drill — the tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. net — after costs
  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