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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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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: jam · hand · club · face · sharp · ground · bass · bound

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bass — low music
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hand — help
  8. club — a group
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bass — the fish
  11. sharp — clever
  12. club — for golf
  13. hand — in cards
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bound — tied together
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. ground — crushed
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bound — certain
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ground — a position
  23. face — to confront
  24. jam — in traffic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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