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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. content — the amount
  3. object — an aim
  4. bass — the fish
  5. object — to protest
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. hand — help
  8. board — to get on
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wound — an injury
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. object — a thing
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bass — low music
  22. scale — in music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — happy

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