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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spring — the season
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bound — tied together
  11. capital — a city
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bark — to shout
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. spring — of water
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. saw — the tool
  19. capital — money
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. spring — a coil
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bowl — to roll

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