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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bass — low music
  3. can — a tin
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bound — certain
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wake — a trail
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pound — a weight
  16. can — to be able to
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bound — obliged
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. sharp — exactly

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