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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bound — certain
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wound — an injury
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bass — low music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. scale — in music
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. staff — employees
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bound — obliged
  20. tear — from crying
  21. staff — employees
  22. tear — from crying
  23. scale — for weighing
  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