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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. spell — letters
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spell — magic
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bat — the animal
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bass — low music
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pound — a weight
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bass — the fish
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. board — a committee
  22. spell — a short time
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. saw — the tool

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