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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bound — tied together
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. deal — to handle
  6. game — wild animals
  7. root — of a plant
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. clip — to cut
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. drill — army training
  15. root — the cause
  16. bound — certain
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bound — obliged
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. clip — a video
  21. root — of a word
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cabinet — ministers

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