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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. track — a path
  5. bound — certain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. track — to keep track
  10. board — a committee
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. ground — the earth
  16. board — to get on
  17. bass — low music
  18. shower — rain
  19. ball — a great time
  20. track — a song
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. ground — a position

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