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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bound — certain
  4. rock — music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rock — a stone
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bass — low music
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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