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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.

Make a worksheet

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: shower · game · bass · board · toast · lash · charge · straw

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. charge — a price
  3. shower — rain
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. shower — to wash
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. charge — electricity
  9. toast — bread
  10. board — to get on
  11. bass — the fish
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. game — wild animals
  15. charge — in control
  16. board — a committee
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bass — low music
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. game — a match
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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