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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bass — low music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. saw — the tool
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bound — obliged
  11. charge — in control
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kick — in football
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. charge — a price
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bass — the fish
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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