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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bark — to shout
  3. key — in music
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. key — for a lock
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. can — a tin
  9. cold — not warm
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. key — the most important part
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. board — to get on
  22. pitch — completely
  23. can — a tin
  24. cold — an illness

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