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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. board — to get on
  3. season — in sport
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. season — of the year
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fine — all right
  12. bat — the animal
  13. board — a committee
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bark — to shout
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wound — an injury

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