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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bass — low music
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. charge — electricity
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. board — to get on
  9. spell — magic
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spell — letters
  12. charge — in control
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. chip — for betting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. charge — a price
  17. spell — a short time
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. net — in sport
  23. bass — the fish
  24. chip — to eat

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