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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. march — the month
  3. swing — music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. squash — the sport
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. march — music
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bound — certain
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. swing — in golf
  17. game — a match
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. march — the month
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. swing — to play on
  24. game — wild animals

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