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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. board — a committee
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kid — child
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. kid — to tease
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. board — to get on
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bark — to shout
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. dip — to sink
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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