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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bark — to shout
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. board — a committee
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chip — to eat
  8. board — to get on
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. saw — the tool
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. saw — the tool
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pit — a hole
  16. chip — for betting
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kid — child
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pit — in a race
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. kid — to tease

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