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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. tear — to rip
  5. track — a path
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mate — a friend
  8. board — to get on
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. tear — from crying
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mate — to breed
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. pitch — completely
  24. board — a committee

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