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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · squash · rest · perch · net · drill · bound · mug

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mug — a face
  4. rest — what's left
  5. drill — army training
  6. rest — a break
  7. mug — to rob
  8. net — after costs
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. net — for catching
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cell — a phone
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cell — in biology
  18. squash — the sport
  19. net — in sport
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bound — certain
  24. squash — to crush

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