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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: swing · roll · rash · last · bound · mug · fine · drill

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. last — final
  5. mug — to rob
  6. drill — army training
  7. fine — high quality
  8. last — to go on
  9. bound — certain
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mug — a face
  12. fine — all right
  13. rash — hasty
  14. last — finally
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bound — tied together
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mug — a cup
  23. rash — a series
  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