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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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 — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ball — a dance
  8. land — a country
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. saw — the tool
  13. land — ground
  14. bark — to shout
  15. land — to come down
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. ball — a great time
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. board — to get on
  23. saw — the tool
  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