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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bass — the fish
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bark — to shout
  6. charge — electricity
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mate — a partner
  10. squash — to crush
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mate — a friend
  13. hand — help
  14. mate — to breed
  15. charge — in control
  16. bass — low music
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. charge — a price
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. bark — of a tree

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