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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bass — low music
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. mug — a face
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fall — the season
  10. board — to get on
  11. content — the amount
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fall — to drop
  16. drill — the tool
  17. board — a committee
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. drill — army training
  22. mug — a cup
  23. content — happy
  24. mug — to rob

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