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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pop — music
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. hand — in cards
  9. object — to protest
  10. dip — to sink
  11. object — an aim
  12. club — for dancing
  13. object — a thing
  14. net — for catching
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stand — to bear
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pop — soda
  23. hand — help
  24. dip — a sauce

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