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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 116 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. board — a committee
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. swing — music
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mate — to breed
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rock — music
  15. mate — a friend
  16. board — to get on
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. swing — in golf
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rock — a stone
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mate — a partner
  24. hide — animal skin

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