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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. game — a match
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bound — certain
  6. drill — army training
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bound — tied together
  9. spring — a coil
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. squash — to crush
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. spring — of water
  19. bound — obliged
  20. squash — the sport
  21. spring — the season
  22. bank — for money
  23. game — wild animals
  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