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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 116 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bound — certain
  4. court — of a king
  5. drill — the tool
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. drill — a practice
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bound — obliged
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. content — the amount
  13. club — for golf
  14. staff — employees
  15. club — a group
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. court — of law
  18. content — happy
  19. bound — tied together
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — for sport
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pass — to succeed

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