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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rest — what's left
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stock — shares
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bore — to tire
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rest — a break
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rest — what's left
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. stock — goods
  19. can — a tin
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. can — a tin
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — of a tree

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