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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. spring — a coil
  3. deal — to handle
  4. swing — music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. spring — of water
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bound — tied together
  10. race — humankind
  11. bound — certain
  12. fork — in a road
  13. swing — to play on
  14. can — to be able to
  15. race — a contest
  16. can — a tin
  17. bass — low music
  18. can — a tin
  19. bass — the fish
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. race — the arms race
  23. spring — the season
  24. bound — obliged

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