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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. scale — in music
  4. board — to get on
  5. rock — music
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. hand — help
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. scale — size or range
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hand — in cards
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rock — a stone

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