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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. tube — a container
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. board — to get on
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. kick — in football
  16. ground — crushed
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. board — a committee
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. plane — a tool

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