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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. ground — a position
  3. last — final
  4. craft — boats
  5. mark — a grade
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bass — low music
  8. scale — in music
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mark — a trace
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. board — a committee
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bass — the fish
  24. ground — the earth

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