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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. board — a committee
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wake — a trail
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. board — to get on
  11. game — wild animals
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. row — a line
  15. object — an aim
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. game — a match
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitch — completely
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. deal — to handle

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