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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pass — a permit
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bound — certain
  9. bass — the fish
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bass — low music
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. spring — the season
  16. bear — the animal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spring — of water

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