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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. board — to get on
  3. present — the time now
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. current — of water
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. current — happening now
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. current — electric
  11. board — a committee
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. present — there
  17. bark — to shout
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. squash — to crush
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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