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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pop — music
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. firm — a company
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. board — a committee
  7. track — a song
  8. pop — soda
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pop — to visit
  11. game — wild animals
  12. scale — size or range
  13. track — a path
  14. firm — steady
  15. row — a line
  16. lie — to recline
  17. board — to get on
  18. game — a match
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. track — to keep track
  22. row — to paddle
  23. scale — in music
  24. lie — an untruth

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