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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fork — in a road
  4. last — to go on
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stock — shares
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. board — to get on
  18. last — final
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. last — finally
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bowl — to roll

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