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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bass — low music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bass — the fish
  5. hand — help
  6. bound — certain
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rock — music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pass — a permit
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rock — a stone
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. foot — part of the body

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