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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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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 · game · rest · straw · dip · drill · fall · board

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. drill — army training
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bass — low music
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fall — the season
  10. drill — the tool
  11. board — a committee
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bass — the fish
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — to get on
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. game — a match
  22. fall — to drop
  23. drill — a practice
  24. straw — dry grass

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