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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fine — all right
  3. board — a committee
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bass — low music
  6. bank — for money
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bass — the fish
  9. shower — rain
  10. board — to get on
  11. can — to be able to
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bank — of a river
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. can — a tin
  19. bank — for money
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. can — a tin
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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