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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. file — a tool
  3. bound — tied together
  4. spring — a coil
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. file — a line of people
  9. land — to come down
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. drill — a practice
  12. spring — of water
  13. drill — army training
  14. spring — the season
  15. land — ground
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bound — obliged
  18. file — a document
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. ground — a position
  21. bound — certain
  22. land — a country
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stand — to bear

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