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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. club — a group
  3. bound — obliged
  4. can — a tin
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bass — the fish
  8. net — after costs
  9. can — a tin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bass — low music
  18. bore — to tire
  19. club — for golf
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cold — an illness
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bound — certain

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