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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: bass · squash · roll · saw · toast · file · cabinet · bound

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bound — certain
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. roll — a list
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. saw — the tool
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. roll — a cake
  15. squash — the sport
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. file — a document
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. file — a tool
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bass — low music
  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