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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. board — to get on
  5. roll — a cake
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. board — a committee
  10. pop — to visit
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. club — a group
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pop — music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — high quality
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fine — all right
  24. pop — soda

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