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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 120 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. drill — a practice
  5. net — for catching
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. net — in sport
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bound — certain
  11. cap — a hat
  12. land — ground
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. capital — money
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pass — a permit
  17. land — a country
  18. net — after costs
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. land — to come down
  21. mark — a grade
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. capital — a city

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