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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mug — a cup
  4. march — music
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bound — certain
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cue — a hint
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cue — for pool
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. drill — army training
  18. mug — a face
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bound — tied together
  24. march — the month

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