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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bound — certain
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bound — obliged
  5. dip — to sink
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. hand — help
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bass — the fish
  22. date — the fruit
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. hand — in cards

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