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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bound — tied together
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bass — low music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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