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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. object — a thing
  3. bark — to shout
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. capital — money
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. object — to protest
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. board — a committee
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. ground — a position
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bass — low music
  21. capital — a city
  22. board — to get on
  23. ground — crushed
  24. object — an aim

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