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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
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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: content · tear · march · bound · cap · cabinet · kick · drill

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. tear — to rip
  3. kick — in football
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bound — obliged
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bound — certain
  9. march — the month
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — music
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. drill — army training
  17. content — happy
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bound — tied together
  20. march — the month
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. tear — from crying
  23. content — the amount
  24. drill — a practice

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