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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bass — low music
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bound — tied together
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bat — the animal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bound — obliged
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bound — certain
  24. bass — the fish

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