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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. current — electric
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bass — low music
  9. current — of water
  10. spell — magic
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. current — happening now
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bass — the fish
  21. board — to get on
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spell — letters
  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