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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. drill — a practice
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. land — ground
  5. bound — certain
  6. tube — a container
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bound — tied together
  9. land — a country
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. roll — a list
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. drill — army training
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. toast — bread
  17. land — to come down
  18. squash — the sport
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bound — obliged
  21. squash — to crush
  22. roll — a cake
  23. drill — the tool
  24. squash — the vegetable

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