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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. march — music
  6. net — after costs
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fall — to drop
  9. march — the month
  10. bound — certain
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. march — the month
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. swing — to play on
  16. net — for catching
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. spring — the season
  21. swing — music
  22. net — in sport
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bound — obliged

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