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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. snap — to click
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bass — the fish
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bass — low music
  21. mine — for digging
  22. game — a match
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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