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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · rule · sharp · race · bound · chair · pop · bass

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pop — soda
  3. bound — certain
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pop — to visit
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rule — a law
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bound — tied together
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bass — low music
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pop — 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