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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. scale — in music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. spell — magic
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. board — a committee
  9. bound — obliged
  10. charge — in control
  11. scale — size or range
  12. charge — a price
  13. board — to get on
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. bass — low music
  18. rule — a law
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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