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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bound — certain
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. charge — electricity
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. charge — a price
  9. track — a song
  10. capital — money
  11. charge — in control
  12. fall — to drop
  13. capital — a city
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bass — low music
  16. track — to keep track
  17. sharp — clever
  18. track — a path
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. fall — the season
  21. bound — tied together
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bass — the fish
  24. fall — to drop

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