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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bound — obliged
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bound — certain
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. drill — army training
  8. bound — tied together
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. craft — boats
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. craft — a skill
  14. drill — a practice
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitch — completely
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. tear — from crying
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tear — to rip
  24. kick — in football

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