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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mate — a friend
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cell — a phone
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. shower — rain
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. net — in sport
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cell — in biology
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bass — low music
  18. net — after costs
  19. mate — to breed
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mate — a partner
  22. board — to get on
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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