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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ground — a position
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bark — to shout
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a committee
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. mate — a friend
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — letters

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