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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bass — low music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rest — a break
  7. bound — certain
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rest — what's left
  15. drill — army training
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. can — a tin
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rest — what's left
  22. can — a tin
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wound — an injury

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