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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bark — to shout
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fall — to drop
  11. race — a contest
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rash — a series
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. race — humankind
  17. fall — the season
  18. fine — high quality
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wound — an injury
  22. board — to get on
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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