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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. land — ground
  4. root — of a word
  5. land — to come down
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. drill — a practice
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. root — the cause
  10. content — the amount
  11. drill — army training
  12. land — a country
  13. content — happy
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bound — certain
  20. ball — a great time
  21. sharp — clever
  22. root — of a plant
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bound — obliged

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