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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. board — a committee
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. board — to get on
  14. row — a line
  15. file — a line of people
  16. row — to paddle
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mine — for digging
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mine — an explosive
  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