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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. land — ground
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. land — a country
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mate — a friend
  11. firm — a company
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bass — low music
  14. mate — to breed
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bound — obliged
  18. firm — steady
  19. land — to come down
  20. kid — child
  21. bass — the fish
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. firm — decided
  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