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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chest — a box
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bound — tied together
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bound — certain
  10. mark — a trace
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fork — in a road
  13. land — a country
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bound — obliged
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mark — a grade
  20. drill — the tool
  21. land — to come down
  22. drill — army training
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. chest — of your body

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