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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. band — a ring
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rash — a series
  7. ball — a dance
  8. fork — in a road
  9. degree — an amount
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bound — certain
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bound — tied together
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. degree — from a university
  18. drill — army training
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. rash — hasty
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rash — on the skin

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