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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. file — a document
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. spell — magic
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. file — a line of people
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spell — a short time
  11. file — a tool
  12. bound — tied together
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. scale — in music
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bass — the fish
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spell — letters
  24. drill — the tool

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