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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. board — a committee
  3. drill — the tool
  4. track — a song
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. root — of a word
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. object — to protest
  9. drill — army training
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. root — of a plant
  12. sharp — clever
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. track — to keep track
  16. root — the cause
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. perch — the fish
  19. object — an aim
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pass — a permit
  22. track — a path
  23. board — to get on
  24. perch — for a bird

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