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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chest — a box
  5. board — to get on
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bound — certain
  11. shower — rain
  12. current — electric
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. current — happening now
  15. perch — the fish
  16. current — of water
  17. shower — to wash
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bass — low music
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mouse — for a computer

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