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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chest — a box
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bound — certain
  6. hand — help
  7. bass — low music
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cue — a signal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cue — for pool
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cue — a hint
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bound — tied together
  24. chest — of your body

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