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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. game — wild animals
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cap — of ice
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bound — tied together
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. bound — obliged
  13. content — happy
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bound — certain
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pop — soda
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pop — music
  21. game — a match
  22. cap — a lid
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cap — a hat

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