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

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. board — to get on
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — low music
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. present — the time now
  15. swing — in golf
  16. present — a gift
  17. degree — temperature
  18. present — there

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