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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bound — obliged
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ball — a great time
  9. chest — of your body
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bound — tied together
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. degree — from a university
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bound — certain
  20. chest — a box
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mug — a cup

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