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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. drill — army training
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bound — certain
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. saw — the tool
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bat — the animal
  14. content — the amount
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bound — obliged
  23. content — happy
  24. bat — for baseball

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