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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: bat · rest · bass · clip · toast · pop · board · ground

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pop — soda
  4. clip — a video
  5. board — a committee
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bat — the animal
  8. board — to get on
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bass — low music
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bass — the fish
  15. toast — bread
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. ground — a position
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rest — a break
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — the most admired

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