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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. can — to be able to
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pass — a permit
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. can — a tin
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. fine — all right
  17. can — a tin
  18. file — a tool
  19. bass — the fish
  20. file — a document
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bass — low music
  23. cell — a phone
  24. degree — temperature

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