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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 116 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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. drill — army training
  4. bound — certain
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. drill — the tool
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. drill — a practice
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. race — humankind
  16. kick — in football
  17. race — a contest
  18. rash — hasty
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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