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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. spell — magic
  3. bass — low music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bound — certain
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — letters
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. spell — a short time
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. rush — hurry
  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