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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 didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. last — final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. key — in music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. last — to go on
  12. bat — the animal
  13. last — finally
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bark — to shout
  16. fine — high quality
  17. board — a committee
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fine — all right
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bark — of a tree

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