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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. drill — army training
  3. bound — obliged
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bound — certain
  7. spring — of water
  8. mug — to rob
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bass — low music
  16. mug — a face
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rest — what's left
  21. game — a match
  22. mug — a cup
  23. drill — a practice
  24. game — wild animals

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