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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. row — to paddle
  4. track — a path
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fall — to drop
  9. date — the fruit
  10. row — a line
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bound — certain
  15. fall — the season
  16. track — a song
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. fall — to drop

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