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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: club · bass · content · last · spell · bound · lie · coach

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — low music
  5. bound — certain
  6. spell — magic
  7. bound — tied together
  8. last — finally
  9. bound — obliged
  10. content — happy
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. last — to go on
  13. lie — to recline
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. club — for golf
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. last — final
  20. content — the amount
  21. club — a group
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bass — the fish

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