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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bass — low music
  3. chip — to eat
  4. current — of water
  5. club — a group
  6. chair — a leader
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. current — electric
  10. cue — for pool
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cue — a hint
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chip — for betting
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — a list
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. current — happening now
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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