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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. field — farmland
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. field — a subject
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pass — a permit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rest — a break
  14. bound — obliged
  15. scale — size or range
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bound — certain
  18. rest — what's left
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. scale — in music
  22. field — for sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. scale — for weighing

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