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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. roll — a cake
  3. kick — in football
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spell — letters
  6. drill — army training
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. spell — magic
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mark — a trace
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. drill — a practice
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bound — certain
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mine — for digging
  23. drill — the tool
  24. roll — a list

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