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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rush — hurry
  3. march — music
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. field — a subject
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bound — obliged
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — army training
  16. field — for sport
  17. march — the month
  18. rash — a series
  19. field — farmland
  20. bound — certain
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. rash — hasty
  24. drill — the tool

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