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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. game — wild animals
  3. drill — army training
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mark — a trace
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bound — certain
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mark — a grade
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. kid — to tease
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. drill — the tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. date — the fruit
  19. game — a match
  20. kid — child
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mark — to pay attention

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