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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bound — certain
  4. present — there
  5. band — a music group
  6. tube — a container
  7. band — a ring
  8. present — a gift
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. snap — to click
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bound — obliged
  17. present — the time now
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bound — tied together
  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