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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. mouse — for a computer
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bore — to tire
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bore — to drill
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bark — to shout
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — clever
  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