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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bound — certain
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bass — low music
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mine — for digging
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. board — to get on
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. band — a music group
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. band — a ring
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bass — the fish
  24. track — a song

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