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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. board — a committee
  5. drill — the tool
  6. face — part of the head
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. face — to confront
  11. saw — the tool
  12. face — to point toward
  13. drill — a practice
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. board — to get on
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. drill — army training
  23. bark — to shout
  24. calf — a young animal

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