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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bass — the fish
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bass — low music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — size or range
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bound — obliged
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. scale — in music
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bound — tied together

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