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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. scale — in music
  4. file — a document
  5. bat — the animal
  6. file — a tool
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rock — a stone
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rock — music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bass — the fish
  17. tube — a container
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bass — low music
  23. board — a committee
  24. snap — to click

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