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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rash — a series
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bound — certain
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bound — tied together
  24. 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