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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. snap — to click
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bass — low music
  12. pit — in a race
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bass — the instrument

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