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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bound — obliged
  3. drill — army training
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. spring — of water
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mark — a grade
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bound — certain
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pass — a permit
  22. drill — the tool
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitch — completely

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