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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. shower — rain
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bass — low music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rash — hasty
  7. branch — a division
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. charge — in control
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. spell — letters
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. spell — magic
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. charge — a price
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bass — the fish
  22. board — to get on
  23. rash — a series
  24. charge — electricity

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