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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.

Make a worksheet

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're almost out of ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bass — low music
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rash — a series
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. prune — to trim
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bass — the fish
  24. board — to get on

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