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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cap — of ice
  5. firm — a company
  6. drill — the tool
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. game — wild animals
  12. hand — help
  13. prune — to trim
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — steady
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. hand — in cards
  21. drill — army training
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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