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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. present — the time now
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wound — an injury
  9. present — there
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. board — to get on
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lean — to bend
  16. present — a gift
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lean — thin
  19. perch — the fish
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. scale — in music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. scale — size or range
  24. perch — for a bird

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