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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. snap — to click
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. board — to get on
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pop — music
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pop — soda
  23. mark — a grade
  24. board — a flat piece

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