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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. march — music
  3. staff — employees
  4. swing — in golf
  5. march — the month
  6. swing — music
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bass — the fish
  9. staff — employees
  10. bass — low music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. spell — a short time
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spell — magic
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bound — certain
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. degree — temperature
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — to eat
  23. spell — letters
  24. staff — a stick

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