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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — tied together
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. land — to come down
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. land — a country
  8. bound — obliged
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. drill — a practice
  12. game — a match
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. drill — army training
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. scale — in music
  17. drill — the tool
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. land — ground
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. sharp — clever
  24. toast — bread

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