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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bound — obliged
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bass — the fish
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spell — letters
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. spell — magic
  9. bound — certain
  10. bass — low music
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mate — a friend
  15. board — to get on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spring — the season
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tear — to rip
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mate — a partner

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