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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. 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. scale — in music
  2. hand — help
  3. board — a committee
  4. bass — low music
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. dip — to sink
  7. kick — in football
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. craft — a skill
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. march — the month
  14. hand — in cards
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. craft — boats
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bass — the fish
  23. scale — size or range
  24. 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