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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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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 · face · race · drill · leaves · sharp · foot · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. drill — army training
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mark — a trace
  6. face — to confront
  7. race — the arms race
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bound — certain
  10. race — a contest
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — a measure
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bound — tied together
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. face — part of the head
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bound — obliged
  21. sharp — clever
  22. drill — the tool
  23. race — humankind
  24. leaves — to go away

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