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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cue — a signal
  7. object — a thing
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. object — to protest
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bound — certain
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. object — an aim
  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