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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bass — low music
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kick — in football
  14. march — the month
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. march — the month
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. march — music
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. board — a committee

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