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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bound — certain
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. toast — bread
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. drill — army training
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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