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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: mug · kid · firm · spell · bound · game · march · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bound — certain
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spell — letters
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. kid — child
  11. firm — steady
  12. mug — to rob
  13. kid — to tease
  14. spell — magic
  15. game — wild animals
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. firm — decided
  18. march — the month
  19. firm — a company
  20. mug — a face
  21. spell — a short time
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. nail — for a hammer

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