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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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Word bank
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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 was ________________ to happen.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. bound — certain
  2. drill — army training
  3. cold — not warm
  4. board — a committee
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. lean — thin
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. swing — in golf
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. swing — to play on
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pitch — completely
  20. lean — to bend
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. swing — music
  23. bound — tied together
  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