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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. band — a ring
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ground — crushed
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. band — a music group
  18. ground — a position
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. swing — music
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. ground — the earth
  24. swing — to play on

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