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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: temple · cue · drill · bound · board · rush · net · clip

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. clip — to cut
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. net — for catching
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bound — certain
  9. net — in sport
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rush — hurry
  14. net — after costs
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. board — a committee
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. board — to get on
  19. clip — a video
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bound — tied together
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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