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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. bound — certain
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spell — magic
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bound — obliged
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bound — tied together
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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