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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wind — moving air
  4. firm — decided
  5. bound — certain
  6. tear — to rip
  7. squash — the sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bound — tied together
  10. firm — steady
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. present — the time now
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bass — the fish
  16. squash — to crush
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. bass — low music
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. firm — a company
  24. tear — from crying

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