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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. board — a committee
  3. bass — low music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bass — the fish
  6. present — there
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. kid — to tease
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bound — tied together
  15. board — to get on
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bound — certain
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. kid — child
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bat — the animal
  24. board — a flat piece

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