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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · rock · land · chair · rash · bound · march · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rash — a series
  5. content — the amount
  6. land — to come down
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chair — a leader
  11. march — the month
  12. rock — a stone
  13. land — a country
  14. march — the month
  15. bound — certain
  16. march — music
  17. rock — music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. land — ground
  22. bass — the fish
  23. content — happy
  24. rash — hasty

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