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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bass — the fish
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bass — low music
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bound — certain
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. sharp — clever

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