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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bass — low music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bound — obliged
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. shower — rain
  9. pound — a weight
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bound — certain
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bound — tied together
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ball — a round shape

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