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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. race — a contest
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. ground — a position
  5. bound — obliged
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. dip — to sink
  10. march — the month
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. ground — crushed
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. march — the month
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. race — humankind
  18. bound — tied together
  19. race — the arms race
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — the earth
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. march — music

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