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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. file — a document
  4. bound — certain
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bound — tied together
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bass — the fish
  15. file — a tool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bass — low music
  24. wind — moving air

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