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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 116 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bass — low music
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. can — a tin
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a committee
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bass — the fish
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. can — to be able to
  20. ball — a dance
  21. last — finally
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pound — a weight

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