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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bound — certain
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bound — tied together
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. tear — from crying
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bass — the fish
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. key — in music
  16. season — in sport
  17. clip — a video
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bass — low music
  20. bound — obliged
  21. tear — to rip
  22. key — the most important part
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — what's left

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