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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rock — music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. hand — help
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. game — a match
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. drill — the tool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. present — there
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rock — a stone
  18. drill — a practice
  19. present — the time now
  20. drill — army training
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bound — obliged
  23. present — a gift
  24. bound — certain

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