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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 · board · spell · pitch · bat · bound · mark · dip

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bat — the animal
  5. board — to get on
  6. spell — magic
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bass — low music
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bound — certain
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pitch — completely
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. spell — letters
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bound — tied together
  24. spell — a short time

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