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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pop — to visit
  3. lean — to bend
  4. face — to confront
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bound — certain
  7. pop — music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bass — low music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. object — to protest
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. object — an aim
  20. lean — thin
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bass — the fish
  23. object — a thing
  24. pop — soda

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