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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. suit — in cards
  3. dip — to sink
  4. board — to get on
  5. capital — money
  6. drill — the tool
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. suit — to fit
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. drill — army training
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. content — the amount
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. capital — a city
  16. content — happy
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bark — to shout
  22. drill — a practice
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. board — a flat piece

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