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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. drill — army training
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bound — tied together
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cap — a lid
  14. roll — a list
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. content — happy
  18. bound — obliged
  19. content — the amount
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bound — certain
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. roll — on a roll

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