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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 120 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: ball · land · fall · bound · nail · season · drill · fine

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. season — in sport
  3. drill — army training
  4. bound — certain
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. drill — the tool
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bound — obliged
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fine — high quality
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. land — to come down
  15. bound — tied together
  16. drill — a practice
  17. ball — a great time
  18. land — ground
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fall — the season
  21. season — of the year
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. land — a country
  24. fine — all right

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