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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bass — the fish
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bass — low music
  6. board — a committee
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. degree — from a university
  16. board — to get on
  17. degree — an amount
  18. shower — rain
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bark — to shout

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