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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. present — a gift
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. chest — a box
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mug — a face
  9. present — there
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. present — the time now
  14. chest — of your body
  15. drill — a practice
  16. scale — in music
  17. drill — the tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. drill — army training
  21. board — to get on
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. perch — the fish
  24. chest — of your body

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