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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bound — certain
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mark — a trace
  7. capital — money
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bass — the fish
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bass — low music
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bound — tied together
  17. snap — to click
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. capital — a city

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