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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fine — all right
  3. club — for dancing
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. board — to get on
  7. hand — help
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. club — for golf
  12. rock — a stone
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. rock — music
  15. file — a document
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. club — a group
  19. band — a music group
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. board — a committee
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fine — high quality
  24. band — a ring

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