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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. board — a committee
  3. bank — for money
  4. bass — low music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. field — farmland
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bank — for money
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pitch — completely
  16. march — the month
  17. bank — of a river
  18. march — the month
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. field — for sport
  21. chip — for betting
  22. march — music
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. field — a subject

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