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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. track — a path
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. board — a committee
  12. cap — a lid
  13. track — a song
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. board — to get on

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