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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bass — the fish
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bass — low music
  12. land — a country
  13. craft — boats
  14. bound — certain
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bound — obliged
  19. spring — a coil
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bound — tied together
  24. chair — a leader

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