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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bound — tied together
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bound — certain
  9. wind — moving air
  10. row — a line
  11. bass — low music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rule — government
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. roll — a list
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wind — moving air

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