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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 120 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. band — a music group
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rule — a law
  11. board — to get on
  12. rash — a series
  13. spell — letters
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spell — a short time
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. band — a ring
  22. bass — low music
  23. spell — magic
  24. band — a rubber band

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