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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mate — to breed
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fork — in a road
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bass — the fish
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. board — a committee
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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