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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. board — a committee
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bass — the fish
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bass — low music
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. roll — a cake
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wind — to turn a key

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