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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. firm — decided
  3. wake — a trail
  4. firm — a company
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fall — the season
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. firm — steady
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bass — low music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bound — certain
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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