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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. file — a tool
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. board — to get on
  9. hand — help
  10. bark — to shout
  11. board — a committee
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bowl — a football final

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