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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bass — low music
  5. rule — government
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. swing — in golf
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bound — obliged
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ground — a position
  20. swing — music
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rule — a law

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