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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. spell — letters
  3. rash — hasty
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bear — the animal
  9. spell — a short time
  10. court — of law
  11. dip — to sink
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bass — low music
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. board — a committee
  16. court — for sport
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rash — a series
  21. court — of a king
  22. board — to get on
  23. spell — magic
  24. bear — to put up with

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