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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bass — low music
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chest — a box
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — to breed
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. game — a match
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chest — of your body
  16. board — to get on
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mate — a friend
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. calf — a young animal

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