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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bank — for money
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. bass — low music
  10. bank — of a river
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. object — a thing
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bank — for money
  17. hand — help
  18. pop — music
  19. board — to get on
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pop — soda

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