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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. board — to get on
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mate — to breed
  8. net — for catching
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mate — a friend
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bass — low music
  20. net — after costs
  21. branch — a division
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bass — the fish
  24. net — in sport

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