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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. sharp — clever
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bass — low music
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bear — the animal

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