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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. march — the month
  5. bass — the fish
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. march — the month
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. board — to get on
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. kid — to tease
  16. object — to protest
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. board — a committee
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. bass — low music
  24. march — music

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