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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. last — final
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bass — the fish
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spring — the season
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. last — to go on
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — finally
  16. kick — in football
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spring — of water
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. board — to get on
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. board — a committee

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