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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bound — obliged
  3. firm — a company
  4. bound — tied together
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. firm — decided
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rash — a series
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bound — certain
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. file — a document
  14. firm — steady
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. file — a tool
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bass — low music
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pound — to hit hard

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