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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rock — music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bound — certain
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rock — a stone
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. drill — army training
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bat — the animal
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bound — obliged
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cabinet — ministers

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