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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. bark — to shout
  15. staff — employees
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. staff — employees
  19. bat — the animal
  20. board — a committee
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. staff — a stick

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