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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bass — low music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bass — the fish
  7. firm — steady
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cap — a lid
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cap — a hat
  12. squash — the sport
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cap — of ice
  15. firm — a company
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mug — a face
  18. bound — certain
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mug — to rob
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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