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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bass — the fish
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. spell — letters
  6. game — a match
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. current — of water
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bass — low music
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. spell — magic
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bound — tied together
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bat — the animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bound — certain
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. squash — the vegetable

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