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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — a group
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bound — certain
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. press — to push
  11. file — a tool
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bear — the animal
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. club — for golf
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bass — low music
  21. file — a document
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bass — the fish

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