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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. spring — of water
  5. rash — a series
  6. spring — a coil
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rash — hasty
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bound — tied together
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. club — a group
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spring — the season
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. club — for golf
  24. coach — a trainer

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