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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. board — a committee
  3. stem — to come from
  4. staff — a stick
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. board — to get on
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bat — the animal
  10. kid — child
  11. squash — the sport
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. kid — to tease
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. foot — a measure
  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