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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mark — a grade
  3. tear — to rip
  4. spring — of water
  5. bound — certain
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. drill — the tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. drill — army training
  10. swing — in golf
  11. degree — from a university
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mark — a trace
  17. fine — high quality
  18. swing — music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. spring — the season
  21. tear — from crying
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fine — all right
  24. spring — a coil

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