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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 120 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. board — to get on
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cold — not warm
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bark — to shout
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cold — an illness
  19. board — a committee
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pass — a permit
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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