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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: cold · bound · rule · last · toast · pound · bass · root

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. last — finally
  3. bound — certain
  4. last — to go on
  5. rule — a law
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bass — low music
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bound — tied together
  10. root — of a word
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. root — the cause
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. toast — bread
  20. last — final
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rule — government
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cold — an illness

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