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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. lie — to recline
  3. roll — a cake
  4. charge — a price
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. charge — electricity
  8. net — in sport
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bass — low music
  11. capital — a city
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. board — to get on
  14. bass — the fish
  15. charge — in control
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. perch — the fish
  18. roll — a list
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. net — after costs
  21. capital — money
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. net — for catching

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