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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rest — a break
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pop — music
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bound — certain
  15. pop — soda
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mate — a friend
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bass — the instrument

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