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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: bound · ground · date · drill · rest · ball · snap · craft

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. craft — boats
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bound — obliged
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. craft — a skill
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ball — a great time
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ground — crushed
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bound — certain
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. snap — to click
  19. bound — tied together
  20. date — the fruit
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. drill — army training

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