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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: drill · current · firm · cap · bat · bound · patient · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. pop — music
  2. firm — decided
  3. bound — certain
  4. firm — a company
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. firm — steady
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. drill — a practice
  13. current — electric
  14. cap — a hat
  15. current — of water
  16. pop — soda
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. current — happening now
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bound — tied together
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bound — obliged
  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