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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. march — music
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. object — a thing
  11. march — the month
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bass — low music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. chip — to eat
  22. game — a match
  23. chip — for betting
  24. object — to protest

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