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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: hide · drill · bound · pop · net · mouse · squash · chair

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — for catching
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. drill — army training
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. squash — the sport
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. net — after costs
  11. chair — a leader
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pop — soda
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. net — in sport
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. pop — to visit
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pop — music
  24. bound — certain

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