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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. board — a flat piece
  3. spell — a short time
  4. court — of a king
  5. spell — letters
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. court — of law
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. court — for sport
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. spell — magic
  18. cue — a hint
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. bear — the animal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bark — of a tree
  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