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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bound — certain
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. ground — a position
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chest — a box
  24. bound — tied together

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