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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. scale — size or range
  6. net — after costs
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. net — in sport
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. scale — in music
  21. net — for catching
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. dip — to sink
  24. board — to get on

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