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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mine — for digging
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. date — the fruit
  9. board — to get on
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. scale — size or range
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. board — a committee
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. scale — in music
  24. dip — to dunk

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