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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. land — ground
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rock — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. rock — a stone
  7. land — to come down
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bound — obliged
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. pop — music
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bass — low music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. land — a country
  20. bass — the fish
  21. chest — a box
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bound — certain
  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