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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bass — the fish
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. spring — of water
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bass — low music
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bound — certain
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. snap — to click
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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