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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bound — tied together
  3. last — final
  4. object — to protest
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bound — certain
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bound — obliged
  12. staff — employees
  13. object — a thing
  14. bass — low music
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. deal — to handle
  18. object — an aim
  19. last — to go on
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. last — finally

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