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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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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rash — a series
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bound — tied together
  7. drill — army training
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. drill — the tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bound — certain
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bass — the fish

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