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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. fall — to drop
  4. sharp — clever
  5. board — to get on
  6. snap — to click
  7. charge — a price
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bass — the fish
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fall — the season
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. charge — in control
  18. board — a committee
  19. tube — the underground
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. tube — a container
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. fall — to drop

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