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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bass — the fish
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. object — to protest
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ground — a position
  13. bass — low music
  14. ground — the earth
  15. object — a thing
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mate — a partner
  22. object — an aim
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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