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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. track — a song
  3. press — a publisher
  4. board — to get on
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. track — a path
  8. bass — low music
  9. band — a music group
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bass — the fish
  13. press — newspapers
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. board — a committee
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bulb — for light
  19. press — to push
  20. band — a ring
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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