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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. capital — a city
  3. bound — certain
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. last — final
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. last — to go on
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. capital — money
  15. spell — letters
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. band — a music group
  20. kick — in football
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bear — the animal
  24. last — finally

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