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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bass — the fish
  3. spell — magic
  4. firm — decided
  5. spell — a short time
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. scale — in music
  9. board — to get on
  10. bass — low music
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. band — a music group
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. firm — steady
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. firm — a company
  23. scale — size or range
  24. band — a ring

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