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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bound — certain
  3. capital — money
  4. bank — for money
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. spring — of water
  7. drill — a practice
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. capital — a city
  13. bound — obliged
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bound — tied together
  16. spring — the season
  17. bank — for money
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. content — the amount
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bank — of a river
  24. spring — a coil

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