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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rock — music
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bound — certain
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bound — obliged
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. drill — army training
  14. last — finally
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. content — happy

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