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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bat — the animal
  4. firm — decided
  5. bass — the fish
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rock — music
  8. bass — low music
  9. firm — a company
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. board — to get on
  20. firm — steady
  21. board — a committee
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rock — a stone
  24. clip — for paper

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