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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. date — the fruit
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. pop — soda
  6. bass — low music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fall — the season
  14. pop — to visit
  15. shower — rain
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pop — music
  20. board — a committee
  21. fall — to drop
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. shower — to wash

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