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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bank — for money
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bound — obliged
  7. charge — electricity
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bank — for money
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bass — low music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. charge — a price
  16. bound — certain
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. charge — in control
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bass — the fish

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