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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 must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rule — a law
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. drill — army training
  19. spring — the season
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. spring — of water
  22. rule — government
  23. drill — a practice
  24. spring — a coil

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