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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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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: fine · drill · bat · cue · bound · land · lie · bark

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cue — a signal
  21. land — to come down
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cue — a hint

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