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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bat — the animal
  7. drill — a practice
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. spell — magic
  11. file — a line of people
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bound — certain
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. board — to get on
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. spell — letters
  20. bound — tied together
  21. spell — a short time
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. drill — army training
  24. file — a document

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