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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pop — soda
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pop — music
  10. kick — in football
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pound — a weight
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bound — certain
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. spell — magic
  20. bound — tied together
  21. spell — letters
  22. wake — a trail
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bass — low music

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