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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. race — a contest
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bass — low music
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bound — certain
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. race — humankind
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. drill — army training
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wave — with your hand

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