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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bass — the fish
  6. file — a tool
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bound — certain
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. key — for a lock
  11. file — a document
  12. perch — the fish
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pitch — completely
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wind — moving air
  18. file — a line of people
  19. key — in music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bass — low music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. perch — for a bird

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