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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pop — music
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. board — to get on
  10. tube — a container
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pop — to visit
  14. row — a line
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. firm — steady
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pop — soda
  21. firm — decided
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. row — to paddle
  24. firm — a company

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