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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bound — certain
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bass — low music
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. mark — a grade
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. bass — the fish
  24. lash — an eyelash

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