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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bass — low music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. swing — to play on
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. swing — in golf
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bound — tied together
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chip — for betting
  24. patient — a sick person

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