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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spell — letters
  6. bass — the fish
  7. board — to get on
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bass — low music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. spell — magic
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. board — a flat piece

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