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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chest — a box
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. club — for dancing
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. club — a group
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bass — low music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. club — for golf
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bass — the fish
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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