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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bound — obliged
  3. row — a line
  4. fine — all right
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. board — a committee
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. shower — rain
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bass — the fish
  12. shower — to wash
  13. board — to get on
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bound — certain
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. row — to paddle
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bass — low music
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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