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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — army training
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. drill — a practice
  10. last — final
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. march — music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. clip — a video
  16. last — finally
  17. bound — obliged
  18. last — to go on
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. toast — bread
  22. bound — certain
  23. march — the month
  24. clip — to cut

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