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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. lean — thin
  3. rule — government
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. degree — temperature
  8. swing — in golf
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bark — to shout
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bass — low music
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rule — a law
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. swing — music
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bound — certain

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