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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. chair — a leader
  4. net — in sport
  5. tube — the underground
  6. current — happening now
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. net — for catching
  9. current — electric
  10. net — after costs
  11. board — a committee
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. current — of water
  16. lie — to recline
  17. tube — a container
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cap — a lid
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cap — a hat
  22. board — to get on
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cap — of ice

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