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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bound — obliged
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bound — certain
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bass — low music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bound — tied together
  18. board — a committee
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rash — a series
  22. dip — to sink
  23. board — to get on
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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