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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · drill · safe · season · bound · mate · rush · pound

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bound — obliged
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. mate — a partner
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mate — a friend
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. season — in sport
  16. pound — a weight
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bound — certain
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mate — to breed
  24. rush — to hurry

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