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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stock — shares
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. board — to get on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. swing — music
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stock — goods
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rush — hurry

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