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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bass — the fish
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fall — to drop
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fall — to drop
  12. game — wild animals
  13. board — a committee
  14. spell — letters
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rest — a break
  17. bass — low music
  18. fall — the season
  19. board — to get on
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. game — a match
  24. spell — magic

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