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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bass — low music
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bass — the fish
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. land — a country
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. ball — a great time
  16. land — ground
  17. saw — the tool
  18. track — a path
  19. toast — bread
  20. board — to get on
  21. land — to come down
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. board — a committee
  24. track — to keep track

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