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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · ground · board · bowl · key · bass · rock · cold

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cold — an illness
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. rock — a stone
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. board — a committee
  9. bass — low music
  10. board — to get on
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ground — a position
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ground — the earth
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rock — music
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. key — in music

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