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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 120 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mug — a face
  5. perch — the fish
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bound — obliged
  8. mark — a grade
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mug — to rob
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bound — certain
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pit — in a race
  24. perch — for a bird

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