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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. face — to confront
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. board — a committee
  9. face — part of the head
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stock — shares
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. board — to get on
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. row — to paddle
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stock — goods
  23. row — a line
  24. face — to point toward

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