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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pit — in a race
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bound — certain
  9. spring — the season
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — of water
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — in cards
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bound — tied together

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