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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. game — a match
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bass — low music
  6. march — the month
  7. board — a committee
  8. track — a path
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. track — a song
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pound — a weight
  16. season — of the year
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. march — music
  19. board — to get on
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. season — in sport
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. season — to add flavour

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