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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bound — obliged
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. last — to go on
  8. bound — certain
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. last — finally
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. swing — to play on
  15. last — final
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spring — of water
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bass — the fish
  24. swing — music

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