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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. drill — army training
  5. bound — tied together
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bound — obliged
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pop — music
  11. cell — in biology
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pop — soda
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. drill — the tool
  17. snap — to click
  18. mine — for digging
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bound — certain
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rest — a break

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