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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 116 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. board — to get on
  3. spell — magic
  4. row — a line
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bass — low music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mark — a grade
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. board — a committee
  20. rest — a break
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rest — what's left
  24. row — to paddle

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