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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bound — certain
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bass — the fish
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. swing — in golf
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bass — low music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. foot — a measure
  15. swing — music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. kid — child

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