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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. board — a committee
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fall — the season
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — music
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bass — low music
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fall — to drop
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. board — to get on
  23. capital — money
  24. fan — a supporter

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