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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. spell — a short time
  4. club — a group
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spell — letters
  7. bound — certain
  8. bass — low music
  9. spell — magic
  10. club — for dancing
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bound — tied together
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. foot — a measure
  18. club — for golf
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rock — a stone

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