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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · last · pound · stand · board · rash · mouse · chest

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pound — a weight
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. last — final
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bass — low music
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rash — a series
  10. last — to go on
  11. board — a committee
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. board — to get on
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. chest — a box
  18. last — finally
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pound — to hit hard

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