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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. mug — a face
  3. mine — for digging
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bound — tied together
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. spell — letters
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bound — obliged
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. row — a line
  19. bound — certain
  20. swing — music
  21. mug — to rob
  22. board — a committee
  23. spell — magic
  24. bark — to shout

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