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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. ground — a position
  3. board — to get on
  4. ground — the earth
  5. board — a committee
  6. ground — crushed
  7. kick — in football
  8. bark — to shout
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. swing — music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. last — to go on
  14. swing — to play on
  15. cue — a signal
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. swing — in golf
  21. scale — in music
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bark — of a tree

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