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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wake — a trail
  4. shower — rain
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. land — ground
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bass — low music
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. shower — to wash
  12. land — a country
  13. march — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bass — the fish
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. board — a committee
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. march — the month
  23. board — to get on
  24. wake — before a funeral

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