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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. club — for golf
  3. present — there
  4. stock — goods
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bound — obliged
  7. face — to confront
  8. last — finally
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bound — certain
  11. face — to point toward
  12. last — to go on
  13. club — a group
  14. bound — tied together
  15. present — the time now
  16. stock — shares
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pass — a permit
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. last — final

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