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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. swing — music
  5. board — to get on
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. root — the cause
  8. cue — for pool
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cue — a signal
  11. root — of a plant
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cold — not warm
  17. snap — to click
  18. root — of a word
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rash — a series
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cue — a hint

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