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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. roll — a list
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. club — for golf
  11. rule — government
  12. cell — a phone
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rule — a law
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. club — a group
  24. bass — low music

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