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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. drill — army training
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. drill — a practice
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. drill — the tool
  10. row — a line
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. board — to get on
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mouse — the animal

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