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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. object — a thing
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bound — certain
  6. scale — size or range
  7. object — to protest
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. scale — in music
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rash — a series
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pop — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pop — soda
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. object — an aim

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