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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. roll — a list
  8. bass — low music
  9. kid — to tease
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bass — the fish
  12. roll — a cake
  13. ground — crushed
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — a cup
  22. row — a line
  23. kid — child
  24. mug — to rob

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