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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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468
Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — tied together
  5. drill — a practice
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bound — obliged
  8. kick — in football
  9. bound — certain
  10. drill — the tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. march — the month
  13. degree — temperature
  14. march — the month
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. march — music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. drill — army training

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