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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cue — for pool
  8. board — a committee
  9. game — a match
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. cue — a hint
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. board — to get on
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cue — a signal
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. game — wild animals

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