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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 124 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. board — to get on
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. chest — of your body
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wind — moving air
  7. board — a committee
  8. chest — a box
  9. mug — a face
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bass — low music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pop — soda
  16. kid — child
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. kid — to tease
  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