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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mate — to breed
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. mate — a partner
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tube — a container
  17. suit — clothes
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. suit — in cards
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bound — tied together
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bass — low music
  24. kick — in football

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