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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. face — to confront
  3. stock — shares
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — to point toward
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. scale — size or range
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. scale — in music
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. face — part of the head
  19. board — to get on
  20. stock — goods
  21. board — a committee
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lash — to lash out

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