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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: game · bass · swing · board · spell · fine · mouse · fan

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bass — low music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fine — all right
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. board — a committee
  10. swing — in golf
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. spell — letters
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. game — a match
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. swing — music
  24. game — wild animals

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