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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. object — a thing
  5. pop — soda
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pop — to visit
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. object — to protest
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cold — not warm
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. pop — music
  17. board — to get on
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. board — a committee
  20. present — a gift
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. object — an aim
  24. roll — a list

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