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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bass — low music
  3. game — wild animals
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bound — obliged
  10. game — a match
  11. bound — certain
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bass — the instrument

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