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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 116 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. shower — rain
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. drill — the tool
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. drill — a practice
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. branch — a division
  13. bass — low music
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. drill — army training
  18. spell — a short time
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pitch — completely
  21. spell — letters
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. board — to get on
  24. spell — magic

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