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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. cap — a hat
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bark — to shout
  7. lean — thin
  8. board — a committee
  9. cap — of ice
  10. craft — boats
  11. stock — goods
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. stock — shares
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. game — a match
  22. board — to get on
  23. lean — to bend
  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