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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. firm — a company
  2. land — a country
  3. tube — a container
  4. drill — army training
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bound — certain
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. firm — decided
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bound — obliged
  19. drill — a practice
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. firm — steady
  23. tube — the underground
  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