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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bass — the fish
  6. land — a country
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. bass — low music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hand — help
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bound — certain
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. land — ground
  19. bound — tied together
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rest — a break
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. land — to come down

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