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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pop — soda
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bound — certain
  9. fall — the season
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kid — to tease
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — a position
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bass — low music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pop — music
  24. kid — child

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