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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. can — a tin
  4. drill — the tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. can — a tin
  8. file — a document
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. drill — a practice
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. can — to be able to
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bound — tied together
  19. file — a tool
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bound — obliged
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bound — certain

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