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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. land — to come down
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mug — a face
  5. land — ground
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. capital — a city
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. capital — money
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bound — certain
  18. land — a country
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bass — low music
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mouse — the animal
  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