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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 120 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: key · bound · pitcher · fall · bass · content · saw · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bound — certain
  3. fall — the season
  4. bass — the fish
  5. key — the most important part
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bound — obliged
  9. content — happy
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rash — a series
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. content — the amount
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. key — in music
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rash — hasty
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bound — tied together

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