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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bound — tied together
  4. track — to keep track
  5. dip — to sink
  6. track — a song
  7. drill — army training
  8. present — a gift
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wind — moving air
  11. capital — money
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. present — there
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. track — a path
  17. capital — a city
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. present — the time now
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bound — certain
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. mine — an explosive

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