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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. kid — to tease
  3. bass — low music
  4. rest — a break
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rest — what's left
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. drill — a practice
  11. board — to get on
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. board — a committee
  15. kid — child
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bass — the fish
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fork — to eat with
  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