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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 124 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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bark — to shout
  5. board — to get on
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. season — in sport
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. snap — to click
  10. last — finally
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. last — final
  16. board — a committee
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. last — to go on
  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