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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: row · bass · bound · rule · swing · fork · cabinet · dip

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. row — a line
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. row — to paddle
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bass — low music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. swing — music
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rule — a law
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bound — certain
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rule — government

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