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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. net — after costs
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. hand — help
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bat — the animal
  12. net — in sport
  13. board — a committee
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. hand — in cards
  18. board — to get on
  19. net — for catching
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bat — for baseball

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